UCB Word For Today

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.

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.

[Matthew 7:21-29]