UCB Word For Today

• Be careful what you watch

  As a teen, Megan arrived home from school just in time to watch an hour of soap operas before doing her homework. She enjoyed the escape into the TV world and wasn’t aware that the programmes were arousing sexual curiosity in her. After years of exposure to these soaps, her perspective on life took a shift. She began to think, ‘Relationships don’t need to be pure. In fact, the impure ones seem more exciting. Fidelity doesn’t matter, as long as a person is happy.’ As a college student, Megan found it easy to participate in one-night stands. Then after a short marriage ended in catastrophe as a result of her infidelity, she sought help from a counsellor. At first it was difficult for the counsellor to understand why Megan engaged in extramarital affairs. She had been a model teenager at home, church, and school, as far as her public behaviour was concerned. Finally the counsellor discovered the source of the temptation that drove Megan to participate in her supposed hidden life. What you watch on television and the internet becomes part of your memory bank. You’re putting images on file that Satan will use against you. David’s affair with Bathsheba started with a wrong look and ended up bringing tragedy to his family. Later David wrote: ‘I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar…I will reject perverse ideas and stay from every evil…I will search for faithful people to be my companions’ (vv. 2-4, 6 NLT). © 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• Travelling light

  Jesus said, ‘Protect yourself against…greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot’ (Luke 12:15 MSG). We live in a materialistic society that’s obsessed with accumulating stuff. But the more you have, the more you have to worry about. So, what do you suppose Jesus wanted to teach His disciples when He sent them out ‘without a wallet, bag, or sandals’? Author Cynthia Ruchti asks: ‘Was He showing them He was all they would ever need? Did He want them to learn dependence on Him? Was He instructing them in the humility of accepting help from others – a bed for the night, a meal, a borrowed coat when temperatures dropped? Did He hope they would realise they could get along with fewer belongings? That their success depended on travelling light? That they would be safer from thieves along the journey if they had nothing worth stealing? Was it focus that Jesus cared about most? With nothing in their hands to distract them, would the disciples cling more diligently to His words and to the ministry of caring for people’s physical and spiritual needs? The more I think about it, the more value I see in the “no baggage” directive. What if I walked into my day, conscious of a no-wallet, no-extra-sandals mentality, intensely focused on Jesus, on His words and His mission, the mission He passed on to us? What if I measured success not by how much I accumulated but on how little I need to survive if I stay close to Jesus? What would I lack? Nothing!’© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• Become a better listener

  When you take time to listen to another person, you don’t just give them a gift, you give yourself one. Dr Juli Slattery observes: ‘Everyone is attracted to a good listener. How ironic that you can major in communications and never take a class on one of the most fundamental aspects of communicating – listening…Perhaps the most powerful mode of sharing the gospel, saving your marriage, and making friends is to truly listen. We feel loved by those who take the time to hear our story and ask insightful questions…Here are three ways to become a better listener: 1) Become curious. Every person you meet is interesting…On the surface they may drone on about something you don’t care about, but underneath is an interesting story if you take time to dig for it. For me, the first step to listening is finding something to be curious about…After 20 years of marriage, I still want to be curious about my husband…to know what God is teaching him…what he’s looking forward to, and what made him laugh today. 2) Maintain eye contact. Because we can’t gauge listening by looking at someone’s ears, we look at their eyes…We show our children, spouses, friends, and even strangers respect when we give them focused attention. 3) Go beyond the words you hear. We only communicate a portion of what we want to express through words. The rest comes through body language, tone, and even silence.’ Proverbs 12:15: ‘A fool thinks he needs no advice, but a wise man listens to others’ (TLB). As much as you may like the sound of your own voice – you become wise by learning to listen.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• Peace that defies human logic

  No matter what problems you’re grappling with, it’s good to know that the peace of God ‘which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and…minds in Christ Jesus.’ Author Lorie Newman said: ‘For me, that peace came when my husband lost his job…We were a one-income family with seven children, a mortgage, [and] bills. Would we lose our house? How could we feed our large family? These questions fogged my mind like suffocating smoke. But, in the midst of it, God tenderly spoke life into my worried heart…Unemployment remained. In fact, it remained for nearly two years. But day-by-day, step-by-step, the truth of God’s Word began to eclipse the despair and I had incredible peace! God’s Word came alive as never before as I navigated the turbulent waters of that rough season of life. I had read that God was my provider, but I began to know and experience him as my provider! What should have been a time of horrific stress…became a place of peace.’ When problems arise, our natural inclination is to panic. When we do that, we open the door for the Enemy to come in, get us off track, and make us feel victimised. Take these words of Jesus to heart: ‘My [own] peace I now give…you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed…do not permit yourselves to be fearful and…unsettled.]’ (John 14:27 AMPC).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• Your emotions matter to God (2)

  Like Jesus, we have been created in the image of a God who expresses emotions. Neither the Father nor the Son was afraid or embarrassed to feel deeply, and we shouldn’t be either. In Scripture God’s heart broke for His wayward children (see Hosea 11:8-9). Jesus wept openly at the grave of His dear friend Lazarus (see John 11:35). He expressed righteous anger over moneylenders defrauding worshippers in the temple (see Luke 19:45-46). And when it comes to our own feelings, we are neither powerless pawns nor fearful fugitives. God wants us to own them, understand their message, and seek His counsel in engaging them for His glory and the benefit of others. The psalmist often voiced his emotions before God. In Psalm 22:1, he cried out, ‘My God…why have you abandoned me? Why are you so far away when I groan for help?’ (NLT). Think how he must have felt to make him say those words: intense fear, panic, confusion, disappointment, and betrayal. But note what he did with his emotions. He took them to God, addressed Him personally, and called on His help: ‘Do not stay so far from me, for trouble is near, and no one else can help me’ (v. 11 NLT). David’s approach was bold, and he found the help he needed: ‘For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy. He has not turned his back on them, but has listened to their cries for help’ (v. 24 NLT). When you bring your feelings to God, you will find that ‘all who seek the LORD will praise him. Their hearts will rejoice with everlasting joy’ (v. 26 NLT).© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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