UCB Word For Today

• Character is what counts

  Here is a description of Saul, Israel’s first king: ‘There was not a more handsome person…among the children of Israel’ (1 Samuel 9:2 NKJV). But his looks couldn’t compensate for his lack of character, and he died prematurely in shame and defeat. When Samuel the prophet went to the house of Jesse to anoint one of his sons as Israel’s next king, God said, ‘Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’ Many years ago a boy was born in Russia who thought himself to be so ugly, he was certain there would be no happiness for him in life. He bemoaned the fact that he had a wide nose, thick lips, small grey eyes, and big hands and feet. He was so distraught about his appearance that he asked God to work a miracle and turn him into a handsome man. He vowed that if God would do this, he would give Him all he possessed. That boy was Count Tolstoy, who became one of the world’s foremost authors, best known for his epic War and Peace. In his books he admits that through the years, he discovered that the beauty of physical appearance he had once sought was not the only beauty in life – and it was not the best beauty. Instead, Tolstoy came to regard the beauty of a strong character as having the greatest good in God’s sight. Character is not a matter of money or looks, but of doing what is right apart from money and standing up for what’s right apart from appearances.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• Strengthening your marriage (2)

  Here are five more relationship lessons by Jon Gordon: 1) The more I love my wife, the more I love my life. It’s not about what she does for me. It’s not about keeping score. It’s about deciding to be selfless, love her, serve her, and be there for her. When I do, we both get better. 2) Encourage instead of competing. A lot of couples get jealous if their spouse is enjoying success, rather than encouraging them. When you support and advocate for each other, you grow individually and strengthen your team. 3) Don’t give up. Sometimes marriage is great and sometimes it isn’t. Too many people give up, thinking the grass is greener elsewhere. It isn’t. Plant yourself, nurture your relationship, invest time and energy in your spouse, and you will grow into who you’re meant to be. Marriage is where you learn to give and take and compromise, where you work on your individual issues and heal together. 4) Have a shared mission. My wife and I knew we weren’t together just for ourselves. We felt our mission was to raise champions who will make a difference in the world. We aren’t perfect parents, we have made mistakes, but our mission inspired us to give our very best – especially this past year with two teenagers and a challenging year. 5) Invite God into your marriage. Years ago when we hit a tough patch, a guy told me how he and his wife pray together every night. So, I asked God what our prayer should be. It came to me a few days later, and we have said it every night since. It has made a difference that leads to forgiveness, healing, and growth.© 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• Strengthening your marriage (1)

  No matter how good your marriage is, you can make it better. Author Jon Gordon writes: ‘My wife and I just celebrated our eighteenth wedding anniversary. We’ve learned and grown a lot…and I want to share some of our relationship lessons: 1) Choose wisely. One of the most important decisions you’ll ever make is the person you marry. You know you’re with the right person when they give you strength. Looking back…there’s no way I could have done it without my wife. Her love, support, belief and encouragement gave me strength. She believed in me when no one else did. 2) Be willing to improve and grow. Early in our marriage our relationship wasn’t very good. I was young, selfish and quite negative. One day my wife had enough: “I love you but I’m not going to spend my life with someone who makes me miserable. You have to change.” I looked at myself and realised she was right. So I became willing to change and to become a positive influence on my wife, my children and others. 3) Communicate. Communicate. Communicate! Most relationships break down because of poor communication. We’ve had disagreements over the years, but we always communicated, and this allowed us to grow stronger together. 4) Admit when you’re wrong. I’ve been wrong many times and admitted it. I’ve also admitted I was wrong even when I thought I wasn’t. I knew my wife was bothered, and it was more important for her to feel loved than for me to feel right. It takes maturity and a willingness to focus on your spouse more than your ego.’ © 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• You’re walking a ‘prepared’ path

  The word ‘prepared’ derives from an ancient custom of sending servants ahead of a king to have things ready for his arrival. But the King of Kings goes in advance of His servants and prepares the road ahead of us. We don’t know this in advance, so we have to overcome our fears, step out in faith, and follow Him. And as we look back, we can say, ‘Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life’ (Psalm 23:6 KJV). In Ephesians 2:10, notice the words ‘good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do’. When you follow God, you’re walking a prepared path. It’s important to keep this in mind. When you find yourself in difficult circumstances, you need to know that God is directing your footsteps (see Psalm 37:23). You have assurance because you know that God has considered every contingency in your life and that He always has your best interest at heart. The psalmist David wrote: ‘I’m an open book to you; even from a distance, you know what I’m thinking. You know when I leave and when I get back; I’m never out of your sight. You know everything I’m going to say before I start the first sentence. I look behind me and you’re there, then up ahead and you’re there, too – your reassuring presence, coming and going…I can’t take it all in!’ (Psalm 139:1-6 MSG). If David, whom God called ‘a man after My own heart’ (Acts 13:22 NKJV), couldn’t take it all in, you won’t either. But God is not asking you to figure Him out; He is just asking you to trust Him. © 2024. Written by Bob and Debby Gass. Used by permission under licence from UCB International.

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• 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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