[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY





The Power of Vision (3)
‘I will instruct you…in the way you should go.’

Psalms 32:8
The UCB Word for Today - 11 Aug 2015





Mother Teresa didn’t set out searching for fame; it found her. She simply went to India, found a need no one else was meeting, heard the call of God, allowed her heart to be consumed by it, and ministered to multitudes of the world’s most neglected and forgotten people in the slums of Calcutta. One of her most famous slogans was, ‘A life not lived for others is not a life at all.’ Let’s face it; much of what we do each day doesn’t seem to matter until it’s evaluated as part of a larger picture. When you take the minutiae of any given day, drop it into the cauldron of a God-ordained vision and stir it around, suddenly there’s purpose, worth, adrenaline and the joy that comes from knowing you’re fulfilling your destiny. It’s like the difference between filling bags with dirt and building a dyke to save a town. There’s nothing glamorous about filling sandbags, but saving a town from the ravages of a flood is another matter entirely. Building a dyke gives meaning to the drudgery of shoveling dirt into sandbags. And it’s like that with your vision. Many times the everyday routine of life can feel like shovelling dirt. But take those same routines and view them through the lens of a God-given purpose, and suddenly everything looks very different. Vision brings your world into focus. It brings order and purpose out of chaos. It enables you to see everything in a fresh light. And the good news is that God is the giver of visions—so ask Him for one!




Job 38-40, 1 Cor 10:1-17

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY



Take It to the Lord



‘…so the power of God could be seen in him.’

John 9:3
The UCB Word for Today - 12 Aug 2015





When Jesus encountered a blind man, His disciples immediately began to discuss the reason for the man’s condition. They asked Jesus, ‘Was this man’s blindness the result of his own sins, or the sins of his parents?’ Jesus answered, ‘[He was born blind] so the power of God could be seen in him.’ Notice four things: 1) The disciples were eager to attribute the man’s problem to his sin. And satan will try to convince you that because of your sin you’re disqualified from God’s grace, but you’re not! God doesn’t examine your past to decide your future. 2) When Jesus healed him, the neighbours were more interested in debating than celebrating—and not much has changed! They started asking, ‘“…Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said he was…others said, “No…”’ (vv 8-9 NLT). 3) His healing failed the ‘religiosity test’ because the Pharisees said, “…This man Jesus is not from God…working on the Sabbath…”’ (v 16 NLT). 4) Even the man’s parents weren’t free to praise God, because ‘…anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue’ (v. 22 NLT). To the neighbours he was a misfit, to church leaders he was a topic of debate, to his parents he was a social stigma, so they ‘…threw him out’ (v 34 NIV). End of story? Thank God—no! ‘Jesus…went and found him…[and]…said, “I came…so that those who have never seen will see…”’ (vv 35, 39 TM). So instead of rehashing your problem and listening to other people’s opinions, take it to the Lord in prayer. When you share it with others, the best you’ll get is sympathy, but when you share it with Jesus you’ll get a solution.







Job 41-42, 1 Cor 10:18-33

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY




Go on a Complaining Fast
‘…do not complain…’




James 5:9
The UCB Word for Today - 13 Aug 2015





Whatever you keep doing becomes a habit. That’s why James says, ‘…do not complain…’ Author Jon Gordon says, ‘A complaining fast won’t just make everyone around you happier…you’ll experience more joy, peace, success and positive relationships.’ So instead of complaining when things go wrong: 1) Practise gratitude. Giving thanks for three blessings every day energises you and makes you feel happier. It’s impossible to be grateful and negative at the same time. 2) Encourage others. Instead of complaining about what people do wrong, focus on what they’re doing right. ‘…encourage…people who are afraid. Help those who are weak. Be patient with everyone’ (1 Thessalonians 5:14 NCV). It’s okay to criticise people’s weaknesses as long as you balance it with three times more praise. 3) Focus on your success. Start a success journal. Every night before you go to bed, write down something great about your day. It could be an uplifting conversation…or an accomplishment you’re proud of. There’s truth to the old saying, ‘Nothing succeeds like success.’ When you focus on success you set the stage for more to follow. 4) Learn to let go. Instead of obsessing about what you can’t change, focus on what you can influence. When you stop trying to control everything and place your life in God’s hands, things have a way of working out. 5) Use the power of prayer. Paul says, ‘…pray…on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests…’ (Ephesians 6:18 NIV). Prayer reduces stress, boosts positive energy, and promotes health. When you’re under pressure, instead of complaining, plug in to God’s power and recharge your batteries.






Prov 1-2, 1 Cor 11:1-16

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY
Wait (1)




‘Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous…’




Psalms 27:14
The UCB Word for Today - 14 Aug 2015




It’s in looking back that we realise: 1) God had something better in mind for us. 2) We weren’t mature enough at that point to handle what we were asking Him for. We think we’re ready, but God knows when we are. Over forty times in the Bible we’re commanded to ‘wait on the Lord’. Learning to wait is a test of maturity. Scott Peck writes: ‘Delaying gratification is a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure by meeting and experiencing the pain first and getting it over with… It’s the only decent way to live.’ Waiting forces us to accept that we’re not in control. It humbles us in ways we need to be humbled. Consider the trapeze artist: for a split second, which must feel like an eternity, he or she is suspended in nothingness. They can’t go back, and it’s too soon to feel the grasp of the one who’ll catch them. They must wait in absolute trust. You may be at that same point in your life right now. You’ve let go of what God called you to let go of, but you can’t feel His hand catching you yet. Moses waited eighty years for a ministry that lasted forty years—two-thirds of his life was spent getting ready! Jesus spent thirty years preparing for a ministry that would last three-and-a-half years. From God’s perspective, your life isn’t measured by its length, but by its effectiveness and its impact for His kingdom. So wait, and keep a good attitude while you’re doing it. God won’t disappoint you.



Prov 3-5, 1 Cor 11:17-34

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY




Wait (2)
‘I waited patiently for the Lord to help me…’



Psalms 40:1
The UCB Word for Today - 15 Aug 2015





The Psalmist said: ‘I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair…He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed’ (vv 1-3 NLT). Waiting means trusting that God knows what He’s doing, even when He doesn’t give you all the details. Perhaps you’re single and looking for someone to share your life with. Maybe there’s a relationship at your fingertips, but you know it wouldn’t be pleasing to God. It isn’t the right person, because he or she doesn’t share your values, goals, or commitment to Christ. Maybe they’re putting pressure on you to get involved sexually even though you’re not married. Sampling the product before you buy may be the world’s way, but you know it’s not God’s way. Still you’re tempted to think, ‘I’m tired of waiting. I’m going to reach for whatever satisfaction I can get and worry about the consequences later.’ Samson did that and ended up losing his sight, his strength, his reputation, his freedom, and his life. Hold out for God’s best! Pray: ‘Lord, I don’t want to get involved in any relationship that I know would dishonour You, hurt me, and bring pain to the lives of others. You said the plans You have for me are good. So even though I sometimes feel no one understands how hard it is, I’ll trust in You and wait patiently.’


:)



Prov 6-7, 1 Cor 12

[MrsS]

Yes Jesus!

My sentiments exactly. I would rather wait on the Lord for the best than compromise & end up with someone who doesn’t share my values, goals, or commitment to Christ. :)

Thank you Sir.

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY



Give It Your All


‘…I will go…And if I perish, I perish.’

Esther 4:16
The UCB Word for Today - 16 Aug 2015





Esther, a Jewish girl married to a pagan king, broke with long-standing tradition, marched into her husband’s throne room, spoke her mind, and rescued her people from annihilation. One girl saved a nation because she was willing to put everything on the line. Are you feeling inadequate today? Are you thinking, ‘Someone else should be doing this job instead of me’? Then read these words written by clergyman Edward Everett Hale: ‘I am only one; but still I am one. I can’t do everything; but still I can do something: and because I can’t do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do.’ How many people did it take to rescue the dying man on the Jericho Road? One Good Samaritan. How many people did it take to confront Pharaoh and lead the exodus out of Egypt? One man, Moses. A respected leadership expert writes: ‘God has put a dream inside you. It’s yours and no one else’s. It declares your uniqueness. It holds your potential. Only you can give birth to it. Only you can live it. Not to discover it, take responsibility for it and act upon it is to negatively affect yourself as well as all those who would benefit from your dream.’ Poet John Greenleaf Whittier wrote, ‘For all sad words of tongue and pen; the saddest are these, “It might have been.”’ In your twilight years, will you look back and feel like you’ve spent your life struggling to fulfil other people’s expectations? Or know that you lived it to the fullest by striving to fulfil your God-given dream? Think about it now, while there’s still time to change direction.





Luke 15:11-32, Ps 84-86

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY




‘Now’ Faith
‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…’

Hebrews 11:1
The UCB Word for Today - 17 Aug 2015




When you’re in the middle of a crisis, what you really believe manifests itself in your words, attitude and actions. When Lazarus died and his sister Martha said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died’ (John 11:21 NCV), she was voicing past-tense faith. When Jesus said, ‘[Lazarus] will…live again’ (v 23 NCV) and she replied, ‘I know that he will…live…in the resurrection…’ (v 24 NCV), that was future-tense faith. And when she said, ‘…Even now God will give you anything you ask’ (v 22 NCV), she was demonstrating ‘now’ faith, which is present-tense. As believers, the Bible tells us not to ‘…look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen…’ (2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV). ‘Now’ faith stakes its claim on ‘something…even if we do not see it’ (Hebrews 11:1 NCV). Paul says, ‘…we walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV). Too often we base our feelings on what we see, instead of what God says in His Word. But as the author Jon Walker writes: ‘When we believe that reality is confined to what we see, we become trapped into thinking the only truth is what we see. We become prisoners of our own perceptions; we cease walking in faith…For those who walk by faith, appearances are never the ultimate reality…Reality extends beyond what you can see…the things we do not see are eternal [time and circumstance do not diminish or alter them] (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV). Even though things may appear bad, God is working things out for our good (Romans 8:28). He knows how the story ends, so fix your eyes on the unseen and not on what you see.’







Prov 8-9, 1 Cor 13

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY




‘Now’ Faith
‘Now faith is the substance of things hoped for…’




Hebrews 11:1
The UCB Word for Today - 17 Aug 2015





When you’re in the middle of a crisis, what you really believe manifests itself in your words, attitude and actions. When Lazarus died and his sister Martha said, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died’ (John 11:21 NCV), she was voicing past-tense faith. When Jesus said, ‘[Lazarus] will…live again’ (v 23 NCV) and she replied, ‘I know that he will…live…in the resurrection…’ (v 24 NCV), that was future-tense faith. And when she said, ‘…Even now God will give you anything you ask’ (v 22 NCV), she was demonstrating ‘now’ faith, which is present-tense. As believers, the Bible tells us not to ‘…look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen…’ (2 Corinthians 4:18 NKJV). ‘Now’ faith stakes its claim on ‘something…even if we do not see it’ (Hebrews 11:1 NCV). Paul says, ‘…we walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV). Too often we base our feelings on what we see, instead of what God says in His Word. But as the author Jon Walker writes: ‘When we believe that reality is confined to what we see, we become trapped into thinking the only truth is what we see. We become prisoners of our own perceptions; we cease walking in faith…For those who walk by faith, appearances are never the ultimate reality…Reality extends beyond what you can see…the things we do not see are eternal [time and circumstance do not diminish or alter them] (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV). Even though things may appear bad, God is working things out for our good (Romans 8:28). He knows how the story ends, so fix your eyes on the unseen and not on what you see.’




Prov 8-9, 1 Cor 13

[ebankole]

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY



Jesus Loves You Unconditionally
‘…God so loved the world…’

John 3:16
The UCB Word for Today - 18 Aug 2015





David said, ‘Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered’ (Psalms 32:1 NKJV). No matter how hard we worked, we could never pay off our sin debt. And thank God we don’t have to, because ‘God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Years ago a congregation decided to honour one of its retired pastors. He was ninety-two, and some people wondered why the church even asked the elderly man to speak. After a warm welcome and introduction, he rose from his chair and walked with great dignity and effort to the pulpit. Leaning on the podium to steady himself, without notes of any kind, he began to speak: ‘When your pastor invited me here, he asked me to talk about the greatest lesson I’ve learned in fifty-plus years of preaching. I’ve thought about it for a few days, and boiled it down to the one thing that has made the most difference in my life and sustained me through all my trials. The one thing I can rely on when tears, heartbreak, pain, fear and sorrow paralyse me…the one thing that always comforts me: Jesus loves me! This I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to Him belong. They are weak but He is strong. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.’ You could hear a pin drop as the old man shuffled back to his seat. It’s something the congregation never forgot. And it’s something you should never forget either—Jesus loves you unconditionally. That’s so today, tomorrow, and forever!



Prov 10-12, 1 Cor 14:1-19