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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY

Invoke God's Blessing upon Your Life
He who invokes a blessing on himself shall do so by saying, May the God of truth and fidelity [the Amen] bless me.’

Isaiah 65:16
The UCB Word for Today - 4 Jan 2016

The word invoke implies these two things: 1) to make an earnest request for, or to solicit; 2) to put into effect or operation, or to implement. With that in mind, read this Scripture: ‘[It shall be] that he who invokes a blessing on himself in the land shall do so by saying, May the God of truth and fidelity [the Amen] bless me; and he who takes an oath in the land shall swear by the God of truth and faithfulness to His promises [the Amen], because the former troubles are forgotten.’ That’s a powerful promise!

Even as God, our Father, spoke the world into existence, we too can use the Scriptures to frame the world we will live in.


When you speak the blessing of God over your life, you ‘make an earnest request and solicit it’. And you also ‘put it into effect or operation, and implement it’.

This is why God told Moses to bless the Israelites with these words: ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace’ (Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV). Then God added, ‘And I will bless them’ (v. 27 NKJV).


Now you can understand why speaking Gods Word over your life can change things for the better, and why the Bible says, ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue’ (Proverbs 18:21 NKJV).

So the word for you today is invoke God's blessing upon your life!


Luke 1:1-20, Psalms 1-3

Courtesy; https://www.ucb.co.uk/

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Don’t Let Fear Stop You (1)
‘He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.’

Philippians 1:6
The UCB Word for Today - 5 Jan 2016



Has God called you to do something you don’t feel capable of doing? Could you think of a dozen others better suited for the job?


It doesn’t matter what you think, God didn’t choose somebody else! He chose you in spite of your limitations and insecurities.


Your inadequacies don’t surprise Him. In fact, His ‘power works best in weakness’ (2 Corinthians 12:9 NLT). Jon Walker says: ‘You may…hide your weaknesses from others, but you can’t hide them from God.


He created you (do you think He made a mistake?). He created you with weaknesses to keep you on your knees…without them to push you back to God you’ll get prideful…and He won’t allow you to use them as an excuse for avoiding your mission or ignoring your purpose.


If God is calling you to a monumental task, He will equip you to complete it – and that includes the Holy Spirit working from inside you. So focus on His strength, not yours.


Don’t think about how incapable you are for the task. Remember, God is bigger than anything you face, no matter how overwhelming it may appear.’ The Bible says we were ‘created in Christ…to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’ (Ephesians 2:10 NIV 2011 Edition).



God’s plans are never an afterthought. He designed you for a specific purpose, and the One who ‘began a good work in you will carry it on to completion’.


So instead of letting fear stop you, let it motivate you to get up and get going!


Gen 10-12, Matt 4

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY



Don’t Let Fear Stop You (2)
‘…Matthew got up and followed him.’

Matthew 9:9
The UCB Word for Today - 6 Jan 2016



Collecting taxes for the Romans was a lucrative job. But for a Jew like Matthew it meant betraying your own people.


As a result he was despised and excluded from religious worship.

But that didn’t stop Jesus from calling him to be a disciple.


And when He did, Matthew didn’t hesitate; he ‘got up and followed him’. Sheila Schuller Coleman points out: ‘Where everyone else saw a pariah, Jesus saw a promise…where everyone else saw a traitor, Jesus saw a loyal follower.


Where everyone saw a loser, Jesus saw a champion of the faith…It matters not who we are…our education…our pedigree…our connections…or our history…Jesus has a plan…and He needs every one of us to fulfil our God-given, divine purpose.’ It’s natural to be apprehensive when you’re facing change and uncertainty, but God says, ‘Take courage!…Don’t be afraid’ (Matthew 14:27 NIV 2011 Edition).


One Bible teacher writes: ‘God knows it involves a challenging stretch…He knows our abilities and resources aren’t what strengthen us for the journey (Philippians 4:13). When we fear we can’t do the things God calls us to do…that He won’t protect and provide…we embrace the lie that our circumstances are bigger than God, and our faith gets placed on the altar of our own perceptions.


If you’re like me you often fear what’s behind the curtain of God’s call, and – frustratingly – He won’t let me peek…He keeps the curtain of our future drawn so we’ll learn to live by faith and not by sight, so we’ll become certain of what we hope for, and become sure of God even when we can’t see how He’s working in our current circumstances.’


Gen 13-15, Matt 5:1-26

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Step into the Water
‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’

Matthew 3:17
The UCB Word for Today - 7 Jan 2016


When Jesus was baptised, ‘the heavens were opened to Him…And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”’ (vv. 16-17 NKJV).

That day when Jesus stepped into the River Jordan, He was stepping into the fullness of God’s purpose for His life.

Those waters were teeming with the sins of mankind.

John had baptised multitudes of converts there; their sins figuratively passing from them into the sea of God’s forgetfulness, just like the waters of the River Jordan end up in the Dead Sea.


Maybe you’re appalled at the idea of Jesus wading into sin. But He was doing it to fulfil the purpose of God – redemption for you.

Jesus was exactly where God wanted Him to be, doing exactly what God wanted Him to do. That’s why His Father announced, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’ There’s a lesson here for you. Doing God’s will sometimes means stepping into messy situations and troubled waters.


But when you obey God and do what He says, you won’t have to speak up for yourself or fight for yourself.

God will command whatever forces are involved to yield to you, honour you, listen to you, and even bless you.


You won’t have to flounder around for the right answer, or wonder if something is right for you.

God will give you the ability and resources you need because you’re where He wants you to be, doing what He wants you to do.
So the word for you today is ‘step into the water’.

Gen 16-17, Matt 5:27-48

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Pray About It
‘Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray.’

James 5:13
The UCB Word for Today - 8 Jan 2016

It’s amazing how long we put up with things before we decide to pray about them.

The hymn writer says, ‘O what peace we often forfeit; O what needless pain we bear.

All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.’ We complain to our friends.

We wonder why God doesn’t do something. We wrestle with the situation in our minds, yet we fail to take advantage of the simplest solution there is – prayer.


Charles Spurgeon wrote, ‘The desire to commune with God is intensified by the failure of all other sources of consolation.’ We’re all guilty of treating prayer as a last-ditch effort. When you say things like, ‘Nothing else is working.

Maybe I should pray about it,’ do you realise what that says about you? That you really don’t understand or believe in the power of prayer as you should.


You’re carrying burdens you don’t need to carry, and life is harder than it has to be because you don’t realise how powerful prayer is. If you did, you’d pray about everything – not as a last resort but as a first response.

The Bible says, ‘Is anyone among you afflicted (ill-treated, suffering evil)? He should pray.’ When you’ve a problem: pray.

When someone hurts you: pray. When you’re sick: pray. When you feel like giving up: pray. When someone you love is suffering: pray. When you’re discouraged: pray.

When you don’t know what to do: pray. Jesus, who prayed early in the morning and late at night, said, ‘Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them’ (Mark 11:24 NKJV). So pray about it.


Gen 18-19, Matt 6:1-15

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY



God Values What You Do
‘God…will not forget your work and the love you have shown.’

Hebrews 6:10
The UCB Word for Today - 9 Jan 2016



Satan will try to convince you that you don’t count for much in God’s kingdom because you don’t have a high-profile gift like preaching, teaching, or leading in public.


Nothing could be further from the truth: ‘God…will not forget your work and the love you have shown…as you…helped his people.’ God sees you working behind the scenes day in and day out, caring for ageing loved ones, raising your children, encouraging others, and contributing where you can.



Will Rogers said, ‘We can’t all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the kerb and clap as they go by.’ So when you think you’re too small to do big things, try doing small things with a big heart of love.



You never know what you can do until you try! James Sizoo said: ‘Glamour isn’t greatness, applause isn’t fame, and prominence isn’t eminence. The man of the hour isn’t apt to be the man of the ages.



A stone may sparkle but that doesn’t make it a diamond. People may have money but that doesn’t make them a success.

It’s the seemingly unimportant people who determine the course of history.



The greatest forces in the universe are never spectacular. Summer showers do more good than hurricanes, but they don’t get a lot of publicity.


The world would soon die but for the fidelity, loyalty, creativity, and commitment of those whose names are unhonoured and unsung.’ Today God values what you do. ‘Don’t get discouraged and give up, for [you] will reap a harvest of blessing at the appropriate time’ (See Galatians 6:9).


Gen 20-22, Matt 6:16-34

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Be Trustworthy in Little Things!
‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.’

Luke 16:10
The UCB Word for Today - 10 Jan 2016



Jesus said: ‘Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.


So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?’ (vv. 10-12 NIV 2011 Edition).


God won’t promote you beyond your current level of competence and commitment. Indeed, He’ll keep bringing you back to these two things until you get them right.

As you walk with Him, He’ll increase your faith by testing you in settings that require only a little faith.

And if you pass, He’ll expose you to circumstances that require more faith.

Each time you prove your willingness to trust Him at a higher level, He will reveal a little more of Himself and entrust to you a greater measure of blessing. That’s how it works.


Every small step of faith leads to a deeper, richer and more rewarding relationship with Him. When Michelangelo was painting the frescoes in the Sistine Chapel he spent endless hours lying on the scaffolding perfecting the details.


It was a miserable job. A student, curious about why the renowned sculptor took such pains with details that could only be seen from a distance, asked, ‘Who will know whether or not it’s perfect?’. The master artist replied, ‘I will!’.

And so will your Master – Jesus! What you’re doing today matters. It’s the determining factor in what God will call you to do tomorrow. So be trustworthy in little things.


Gen 23-24, Matt 7

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Growing Older, and Better
‘I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.’

Psalm 118:17
The UCB Word for Today - 11 Jan 2016



Today people are living longer and enjoying better health.
Given that fact, it would be wise to glean from their wisdom and value their talent.

You may have noticed that television advertisers are targeting younger and younger people. Why? After all, isn’t a tube of toothpaste sold to an eighty-year-old just as profitable as one pitched to a kid?

The idea that life should be winding down at sixty or seventy makes no sense. Immanuel Kant wrote one of his best philosophical works at the age of seventy-four. Verdi penned his classic ‘Ave Maria’ at eighty-five.

Alfred Lord Tennyson was eighty when he wrote ‘Crossing the Bar’. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes set down some of his most brilliant opinions at the age of ninety.

Titian painted his famous Allegory of the Battle of Lepanto at the age of ninety-eight. President Ronald Reagan was one of the most powerful men in the world at seventy-five. Noah was over six hundred years old when he came out of the ark and helped to start the world all over again.

David the psalmist wrote two things worth noting about getting older: 1) ‘They shall still bear fruit in old age’ (Psalm 92:14 NKJV); 2) ‘I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.’ When the spotlight moves from you to the younger generation, don’t be discouraged.

Just serve faithfully in the shadows, knowing that one day God will reward you openly for all you have done.


Luke 1:21-38, Psalms 4-6

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Give God Your All
‘Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.’

Ephesians 3:20
The UCB Word for Today - 12 Jan 2016


If you only have a thimble-worth of capacity and you’re standing on the edge of a vast ocean, you have access to a lot of water but you won’t get much of it because your capacity is so small.


If you have the capacity of a bucket you’ll get more than a thimble, but once the bucket is full the ocean can do you no more good.


If you have a barrel you’ll get more than a bucket, but once the barrel is full you will still only have taken advantage of a miniscule part of the ocean.


The idea is to offer God the biggest container possible.

Offer Him all of you so that He can accomplish what He wants to do in your life. And no matter how successful you may be, you still haven’t maximised all that God wants to do in you and through you.


Paul puts it this way: ‘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.’ When you give your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within you.


That means if your life has been a failure thus far, He can turn it into a success. And if your life has been successful thus far, He can take you to a higher level of success.


That’s why you should begin each morning by praying: ‘Lord, I make myself totally available to You this day; work through me to accomplish Your will.’ That’s a prayer God will answer.


Gen 25-26, Matt 8:1-17

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TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY


Speak Up!
‘There is…a time to be silent and a time to speak.’

Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7
The UCB Word for Today - 13 Jan 2016

The Bible has a lot to say about not criticising and passing judgment. But there are times when silence isn’t ‘golden’, it’s deadly. For example: 1) Silence is deadly when you use it as a passive, retaliatory means of expressing your anger or displeasure.


That’s called ‘emotional manipulation’. Jesus said, ‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.

If he hears you, you have gained your brother’ (Matthew 18:15 NKJV).
Jesus is recommending pretty assertive behaviour by commanding us to take the initiative in addressing the ‘trespass’.

Trespassing is the unauthorised crossing of a boundary, and many times we feel like we’ve been trespassed against or wronged.

However, rather than addressing the issue directly with the offender, we resort to sulking and pouting. Jesus says, ‘Don’t do that!’. Your lack of communication can leave the wrongdoer unaware of their behaviour and make them more likely to repeat it. 2) Silence is deadly when you fail to defend someone against unwarranted criticism or vicious rumours.


Don’t let fear of alienation and rejection cause you to let slander and character assassination go unchallenged, especially when you’re aware of facts to the contrary. 3) Silence is deadly when it results in your making an undesirable decision by default.

The fact is, silence can indicate consent. Prayer was taken out of public schools in the United States because the majority stayed silent instead of speaking up.

The Scripture says, ‘There is…a time to be silent and a time to speak.’ So have the courage of your convictions and speak up!


Gen 27-28, Matt 8:18-34