UCB Word For Today

If you are serious about having a truly interactive relationship with the Lord in which you speak to one another and hear from one another, you will need to spend quality, uninterrupted time opening your heart to Him. When Samuel finally prayed, ‘Speak, for Your servant hears,’ the Bible says, ‘Then the LORD said to Samuel.’ All too often, our prayer is ‘Listen, God, for Your servant is speaking.’ Listening to God can involve a variety of practices: reading His Word, spending time in solitude and silence, and hearing from God just like a seasoned friend you trust. Here’s an example: ‘As they were going down to the outskirts of the city, Samuel said to Saul, “Tell the servant to go on ahead of us.” And he went on. “But you stand here awhile, that I may announce to you the word of God”’ (1 Samuel 9:27 NKJV). One of the most effective ways of hearing from God is through meditating on His Word. You might say, ‘But I don’t know how to meditate.’ If you know how to worry, you know how to meditate. In both worry and meditation, your thoughts and focus are given to a certain thing. When you meditate on God’s Word, you’re focusing your thoughts on the right thing! God told Joshua: ‘This Book…shall not depart from your mouth [speak it regularly], but you shall mediate [focus] in it day and night, that you may observe to do [act on it] according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success’ (Joshua 1:8 NKJV).

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

If you use a computer, you know what the save button is. To save a created document, you just press the save button. Words on the screen descend into the core of the machine. As long as the words are limited to the screen, they are vulnerable to the irascible cursor. It earns its name. We curse the little monster as it gobbles up our hard work. But once we save it, it is safe. Question: are you clicking the save button on Scripture? You save truth when you deliberately allow what you’ve read or heard to become part of who you are. Jesus said, ‘You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ As you know (save) truth, the truth frees you from guilt, fear, pride, anger, etc. Saved truth has a shaping, reconfiguring impact on your heart. Only when you allow the truth of Scripture to be the authority in your life will you prove that it works. How do you do this? Begin with a prayer: ‘God, please speak to my heart today as I read Your Word.’ Then with an open heart, read until a message hits you, and you will receive great rewards. God told Joshua if he did this, He would make his way ‘prosperous’ (see Joshua 1:8). The promise of prosperity includes finances, but it also refers to a wealthy spirit, mind, and body. God prospers a leader with new skills, a worker with good sleep, a teacher with added patience, a mother with deeper affection, and an elderly person with greater hope. So click the save button!

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

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.