UCB Word For Today

One of the greatest missionaries in the history of the church was Mary Slessor, although she started out as a most unlikely candidate. Because of her father’s drinking problem, eleven-year-old Mary was working twelve-hour shifts in the mills, assisting her family in paying their bills. She discovered she could prop books on her loom as she worked. While she read about the land of Calabar (modern Nigeria), Mary grew convinced she should go there as a missionary. In 1876, she sailed for West Africa aboard the S.S. Ethiopia, which, ironically, was loaded with hundreds of barrels of whiskey. Remembering how alcohol had harmed her family, she said, ‘Scores of barrels of whiskey, and only one missionary.’ But what a missionary! Mary was a combination of circuit preacher, nanny, nurse, village teacher, and negotiator who alone transformed three pagan regions by preaching the gospel. She deflected tribal wars and rescued women and children by the hundreds. For forty years she toiled as God enabled her. God loves to use people the world overlooks or discards. Mary Slessor was one of them. So was Paul. ‘He…appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus’ (vv. 12-14 NLT). The God who used the apostle and Mary Slessor can use you too – if you surrender your life to Him.

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

People who desire to beautify themselves with diamonds use the timeless counterfeit – cubic zirconia. But now, scientists can create real diamonds in a laboratory. And they are so good that gemologists have trouble recognising laboratory diamonds from mined ones. To tell them apart, an expert’s checklist is used: weight, colour, clarity, and brilliance. Without it, an imposter could pretend a two-day-old diamond is one that took thousands of years to develop. The same is true with spiritual truth. If Christians don’t know their Bibles, spiritual imposters can pass off all manner of lies as truth. It’s not enough for someone to do miracles in Jesus’ name. ‘Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not…done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me”’ (Matthew 7:22-23 NKJV). The Bible says that even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. Paul warns: ‘For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths’ (2 Timothy 4:3-4 NLT). The Bible uses the word ‘doctrine’ fifty-five times. That’s how important it is. We need to have the desire of a diamond expert – a desire not to be deceived. If careful examination, study, and care are taken in determining the quality of a precious stone, how much more should the same effort be applied to the precious Word of God?

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

John Ortberg writes: ‘In 1780 a Jesus-follower in Great Britain named Robert Raikes could not stand the cycle of poverty and ignorance that was destroying little children, a whole generation. He said, “The world marches forward on the feet of little children.” So he took children who had to work six days a week in squalor. Sunday was their free day. He said, “I’m going to start a school for free to teach them to read and write and learn about God.” He did, and he called it Sunday school. Within fifty years, there were 1.5 million children being taught by 160,000 volunteer teachers who had a vision for the education of a generation. Sunday school was not a privatised, optional programme for church kids. It was one of the great educational volunteer triumphs of the world. The alphabet of the Slavic peoples is called Cyrillic. It was named for Saint Cyril, who was a missionary to the Slavs and discovered they had no written alphabet. Thus he created one for them so they would be able to read about Jesus in their own language…A Methodist missionary, Frank Laubach, cited an extraordinary encounter with God about a century ago that put him on a mission to lift the world out of ignorance. He began a worldwide literacy movement. The phrase “Each one teach one” flows out of the extraordinary life of this man. He travelled to more than a hundred countries and led to the development of primers in 313 languages. He became known as “the apostle to the illiterates”.’

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

First and most importantly, Jesus brought the light of salvation to all mankind. But one of the enduring benefits of His kingdom is His impact on learning and education. The word university began with those who believed that God created the universe; therefore, His ways must be studied and known. Martin Luther highlighted from the New Testament the priesthood of all believers. In the process, he changed education because he taught that every person needs to be capable of reading and writing so they can study the Scriptures for themselves. This ushered in a goal of worldwide literacy for everyone in a society. In America, the first law to call for mass universal education was announced in Massachusetts in 1647. It was named, believe it or not, ‘The Old Deluder Satan Act’. Its wording goes: ‘It being one chief product of that Old Deluder Satan, to keep men from the knowledge of the Scriptures…and to the end that learning may not be buried in the graves of our forefathers.’ This is a lovely idea that everybody should learn: that ignorance is the devil’s tool, and that God is the God of truth. In nation after nation, Christian missionaries discovered languages that had not been written. So in acts of extraordinary sacrifice, they dedicated their lives to the chore. They assembled the first dictionaries. They penned the first grammars. They formed the first alphabets. And the first significant proper name written in numerous languages was the name Jesus.

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

To share your faith effectively with others, you must overcome these three obstacles. 1)You must be sure of your own salvation. John writes: ‘He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself…And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son…These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God’ (1 John 5:10-11, 13 NKJV). 2)You must get over your fear of rejection. That means getting to the root of your fear, which is ego. Only when self-preservation and self-interest are crucified can you make Christ known without fear. Jesus said, ‘Whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me’ (John 13:20 NIV). Get over yourself! If someone rejects you, you may lose face. But if they reject Jesus, they will lose their soul. 3)You must use wisdom in sharing the gospel. ‘He that winneth souls is wise’ (Proverbs 11:30 KJV). God can work on both ends of the line. He can prepare the heart of your listener so that they’re open to what you have to say, and He can give you the right words and the right approach to talk to them. Jesus said, ‘The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you’ (John 14:26 NIV).

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

A Christian leader writes: ‘The Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari was a poor man. And yet his violins are now the most prized violins ever made because of the rich and resonant sound they produce. The unique sound of a Stradivarius cannot be duplicated. What may surprise you is that these precious instruments were not made from treasured pieces of wood; they were carved from discarded lumber. Because Stradivari couldn’t afford fine materials, he got most of his wood from the dirty harbours where he lived. He would take those waterlogged pieces of wood to his shop, clean them up, and dry them out. Then, from those trashed pieces of lumber, he would create instruments of rare beauty. It has since been discovered that while the wood floated in those dirty harbours, microbes infiltrated the wood and ate out the centres of those cells. This left just a fibrous infrastructure of wood that created resonating chambers for the music. From wood that nobody wanted, Stradivari produced violins that now everybody wants.’ You say, ‘How does any of this relate to me?’ Just as this violin maker transformed rubbish into treasure, God can transform you into what you were actually meant to be. You might say, ‘But you don’t know how low I have fallen or the things I’ve done. I doubt that Jesus could save and transform someone like me!’ Give Him a try. Put Him to the test. You won’t be disappointed. The Bible says, ‘He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him.’

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

Persistence and a refusal to abandon your vision kept you coming back and back and back again until you finally succeeded. Try to imagine what life would be like without the light bulb or the polio vaccine. Yet Thomas Edison and Jonas Salk lived through endless chapters of trial and failure before they succeeded. Successful people take note of their failures and learn from them. They examine them carefully, work out what went wrong, and use them to correct their errors going forwards. So often, we begin new projects with excitement and enthusiasm. The newness of what we are doing compels us to keep moving forwards. Then something goes wrong, and we stop. The project looked easier than it turned out to be, and we are not prepared to work at it and stay at it, so we give up. But quitters don’t win, and winners don’t quit. And as a redeemed child of God, you have a big plus: ‘My help comes from the Lord’ (Psalm 121:2 NKJV). Think about that! With the Lord of every situation and circumstance helping you, you will eventually prevail. You have a source of unfailing strength and guidance to draw on. Moses lived through criticism, betrayal, and constant complaining, yet he led the greatest migration of people in the history of mankind. How did he do it? The Bible gives us the answer in two phrases: ‘He was looking ahead to his reward…he persevered because he saw him who is invisible’ (Hebrews 11:26-27 NIV). So keep your eyes on the Lord, keep looking ahead to your promised reward, and you will win.

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

Unexpected events can knock us off our feet. And while some of us get knocked down and out, others get back up and go on. They refuse to accept defeat as being permanent. They’re like the man who said, ‘I’m never down; I’m either up, or I’m getting up.’ They see everything that happens in life as a learning experience. Losing a loved one is heart breaking, but it can also be a wake-up call to live every day of your life to the fullest. Losing a job can be traumatic, but it can also bring to the surface talents and abilities you never knew you had. Struggling to overcome a bad habit can lead to reprioritising your life and instituting healthy habits. You can prepare for the worst by saving money for emergencies, taking classes about new products and technology, keeping your relationships and contacts current so when you need to call someone for help, someone will willingly pick up the phone. Doing so is like having a spare tyre and tools in your boot for changing a flat. You hope you never need to use them, but you keep them ready to go in the event you hit a bump in the road. Above all, keep your relationship with God in good repair! ‘The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand’ (Psalm 37:23-24 NIV).

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

Just as an ECG can measure the health of our physical heart and blockages that can threaten it, it’s helpful to have an instrument that can measure the level of our zeal, commitment, and wholeheartedness when it comes to serving the Lord. The following six questions will do just that: 1) Do I talk openly and frequently about my commitment to Christ in order to create a kind of public accountability for my actions? 2) Do I accept the responsibility to grow? Do I read books and practise skills and get together with those farther down the road who can help me improve? 3) Do I complain about problems in a way that cleverly rationalises a half-hearted involvement? 4) Do I handle discouragements by talking with God and requesting strength to persevere? 5) Do I acknowledge and celebrate even my small steps in the right direction? 6) The apostle Paul writes, ‘Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervour, serving the Lord.’ Zeal describes passion, persistence, and power. And these are things I am able to track and guard. Am I honest about my level of zeal these days? When my zeal is flagging, do I take steps to renew it? Think about each of these questions carefully and prayerfully. Be honest with God and with yourself. And if you don’t like the answers, decide today to take action. Spend more time alone with God in prayer and reading His Word. Having a burning zeal for God is like tending a fire; it requires constant fuelling and maintenance. And no one else can do that for you.

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

The Bible says, ‘Amaziah…did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly’ (vv. 1-2 NIV). Contrast that with what God said about David: ‘I have found David…a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do’ (Acts 13:22 NIV). This can be a little bewildering because when you read about David’s life, you find chapters of adultery, murder, and cover-up. He’s a disaster as a husband and inferior as a dad. But his heart is devoted to God. How do we know? Because when he makes mistakes and sins, he repents and desires to get right with God again. When David guided the return of the ark of the covenant to Israel, he danced before the Lord ‘with all his might’ (2 Samuel 6:14 KJV). He put his whole self into it. If you wonder how that dance looked, the text reveals it involved King David ‘leaping and dancing before the Lord’ (v. 16 KJV). The heart, in early history, was the core of a person. It meant not only feelings, as we many times think of the heart, but the centre of a person’s being, especially the will. So, wholehearted devotion to God reveals what you choose to embrace with all your energies. Amaziah lived twenty-nine years of his life finessing his commitment to God. He did what was right, but his heart was elsewhere. David, in spite of his flaws, pursued God with all his heart. So the word for today is – strive for wholehearted devotion to God.

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

Small offences can be forgiven easily. But when someone hurts us badly and seems to be getting away with it, forgiveness is a real challenge. Until you forgive the offence and let it go, you will constantly feel the weight of it weighing you down. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to forgiving is thinking that if your feelings don’t immediately change towards someone, you haven’t really forgiven them. No, forgiveness is a decision. It’s an act of your will. You may continue to struggle with feelings of hurt and resentment. That doesn’t invalidate your decision to forgive; it just means healing takes time. And your healing begins the moment you decide to forgive. The Bible says, ‘Let all bitterness…be put away from you…And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you’ (Ephesians 4:31-32 NKJV). Once you have done your part, which is to forgive, trust God to do His part, which is to heal your emotions and restore your peace and joy. You have the power to make the decision to forgive, but only God has the power to change your feelings towards the person who hurt you. So, trust God to change your heart. Eventually, your feelings will follow and line up with your decisions. In the meantime: ‘Be still and rest in the Lord; wait for Him and patiently lean yourself upon Him; fret not yourself because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; fret not yourself – it tends only to evildoing’ (Psalm 37:7-8 AMPC).

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

Jesus said: ‘The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. So the servants of the owner…said to him, “Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?” He said to them, “An enemy has done this.” The servants said to him, “Do you want us then to go and gather them up?” But he said, “No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn’”’ (vv. 24-30 NKJV). Removing the weeds (ungodly) from the wheat (godly) is not our job. We must concentrate on cultivating wheat, and let God do the dividing. Why? Because the roots of both plants (lives) will have become so closely entwined that even if you could differentiate between the two, you would uproot the wheat with the weeds. You would also uproot the wheat that was planted and would mature later. Plus, some of the wheat that has not yet formed heads of grain you would confuse for weeds. Your job is to bear good fruit, and God’s job is to divide the wheat from the tares. So the word for today is – leave the judging to God.

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

Jesus told professional fishermen, ‘Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.’ These men knew three things about catching fish: 1)You must go where the fish are.You might say, ‘I thought we were supposed to separate ourselves from the world.’ Jesus didn’t avoid the culture; He engaged it in order to change it. And you must do the same. Jesus prayed: ‘I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world’ (John 17:15-18 NKJV). 2)You must be ready when the fish are biting. ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect’ (1 Peter 3:15 NIV). The saying, ‘When the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear,’ is a true saying. 3)You must use the right bait to catch fish. Paul said, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes‘ (Romans 1:16 NKJV). The word ‘gospel’ means good news. Honest sinners already feel bad about their sins and struggles; what they need is the power to change. And ‘the gospel…is the power of God to salvation’. Keep these three principles clearly in mind, and today go fishing for souls.

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

Our inner self can be trained to wait on God, even though our outer self is stressed and anxious for answers. This is not easy to do in our fast-paced society, where the spiritual discipline of waiting on the Lord is often lacking. We want everything – right now. But if we are always in a hurry, we will miss out on the close fellowship with God that takes time to develop. He will speak to our hearts if only we will be patient to listen. After slaying the prophets of Baal, Elijah learned a valuable lesson about waiting on God. The Lord told him to go stand on a mountain. A great wind came, then an earthquake, then a fire, but the Lord was in none of these. The Bible says, ‘After the fire [a sound of gentle stillness and] a still, small voice’ (1 Kings 19:12 AMPC). The Lord spoke in a still, small voice after the wind, the earthquake, and the fire. If Elijah had been impatient he would not have heard the Lord’s voice. David also learned to wait on God and ‘meditate, consider, and inquire in His temple’ (Psalm 27:4 AMPC). In order for us to pray effectively, we must choose to wait patiently and listen for His word. Waiting and listening takes the focus off us and places it on Him, who is the answer to all our needs. It is often in silence that the power of God is moving most mightily. So, allow the Holy Spirit to teach you how to wait in His presence.

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

If you feel you’re not talented enough to be used by God, read the story of the feeding of the five thousand. Actually, there were five thousand men. If you add women and children, the number could be more than twenty thousand. And the boy’s lunch was more meagre than you imagine. A loaf was about the size of a mini pancake. The word for fish refers to sea creatures about the size of sardines. But what made that little lunch a big feast is what the boy did when Jesus asked him for it. He gave it willingly. He didn’t say, ‘Lord, you can have one fish, but I will keep the other one. You take three loaves, and I will keep the other two.’ He gave Jesus everything He asked for. Now think about the results of his act of sacrificial kindness. 1)The original lunch didn’t fill up even a single basket, but the leftovers filled twelve baskets. This illustrates the harvest law taught in Scripture. When you give to God, you always get back more than you give (see Luke 6:38). And when you withhold, you rob yourself of His blessing. ‘One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want’ (Proverbs 11:24 ESV). 2)By meeting the needs of others, his own needs were met. ‘Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted’(John 6:11 NIV). The truth is that when you give God what you have, you will be amazed what He does with it.

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

When Joseph’s brothers stripped him of his coat of many colours, which represented his father’s favour, what held him steady? The promise God gave him. When he was thrown into a pit and then sold into slavery, what held him steady? The promise God gave him. When the butler he befriended in prison failed to speak on his behalf to Pharaoh, what held him steady? The promise God gave him. ‘Joseph…was sold as a slave…He was laid in irons. Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the people let him go free. He made him lord of his house’ (vv. 17-21 NKJV). God’s Word will stand the test of time, but in order for it to come to pass, you must stand strong in faith during your times of testing. You will be tested by the attitudes and actions of your family. You will be tested by the unfaithfulness and betrayal of friends you trusted. You will be tested by living in circumstances of adversity and hardship that seem opposite to what God promised you. You see, God is more interested in your character than He is in your comfort. The New Living Translation says, ‘Until the time came to fulfil his dreams, the Lord tested Joseph’s character’ (v. 19). Why test anything? To find out if it’s trustworthy. And when you prove trustworthy, you can stand on the promise, ‘It will certainly come to pass’ (Habakkuk 2:3 NET). So, stand on the promise God gave you.

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

The psalmist wrote, ‘Come before His presence with singing…Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name’ (vv. 2, 4 NKJV). When you approach a king, a certain protocol is required. And David gives us the protocol for coming into the presence of the King of Kings: ‘Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.’ Question: is that your personal experience in church? Or do you stand like a spectator while the musicians, the worship team, or the choir do the singing and you do the listening? We are all called to ‘enter into’ praise! Worship is not something you merely hear with your ears; you express it with your lips – and your heart. When you fail to do so, there is a connection with God that is not made. You, personally, must worship God! And regardless of how gifted and talented they may be, no one else can do that for you. You say, ‘But sometimes I don’t feel like praising God.’ The Bible says, ‘Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name’ (Hebrews 13:15 NKJV). God wants sacrificial praise. What’s that? Praise when you don’t feel like it. Praise when you are going through seasons of hardship. Praise when humanly speaking, you can’t think of a single thing to praise God for. With God, the praise that costs is the praise that counts. ‘I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth’ (Psalm 34:1 NKJV).

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

The original King James Bible says, ‘O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.’ The New King James Bible says, ‘You are…enthroned in the praises of Israel.’ You say, ‘Which translation is accurate?’ Both are accurate. The word ‘inhabit’ pictures a dweller who feels right at home. And the word ‘enthroned’ pictures someone in a position of power and authority, someone who can give orders and make things happen. So God is at home in our praise; His power is released through our praise. When God created the world, He did it with words – sound. So, God’s power can travel through sound. And certain sounds move His heart. Certain sounds invoke His presence. Certain sounds move Him to action. The key to deliverance, which means to be set free, is in having an encounter with God. And songs of deliverance can set the stage for such an encounter with God. Read these three Scriptures carefully: ‘Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still’ (Psalm 4:4 NKJV). ‘Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him’ (Psalm 37:7 NKJV). ‘He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty’ (Psalm 91:1 NKJV). Note the words ‘meditate’, and ‘be still’, and ‘rest’, and ‘wait patiently’, and ‘he who dwells in the secret place’. Now picture yourself ‘soaking’ in the presence of God. Your emotions are quiet, your spirit is attuned to God’s presence, you can hear what He has to say and receive from Him what you need. That’s what happens when you surround yourself with ‘songs of deliverance’.

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

Even science agrees that music has healing power. Today we have music therapists who play sounds that set captives free in hospitals, special educational needs classrooms, nursing homes, and other environments. Harvard University researchers, among others, are reporting that music is a healing balm for stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, and the physical stress of premature birth. They have also learned that music can improve surgical outcomes, help to restore lost speech, reduce side effects of cancer therapy, relieve pain, improve mood, and battle depression. Dr Gottfried Schlaug, a Harvard University neurologist, told theLos Angeles Times, ‘Music might provide an alternative entry point to the brain because it can unlock so many different doors into an injured or ill brain.’ His research shows that pitch, harmony, melody, rhythm, and emotion, which are all components of music, engage different parts of the brain – parts of the brain that are also important for speech, movement, and social interaction. ‘He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions’ (Psalm 107:20 NKJV). So, when music is the medium used to praise God and express His creative and life-changing Word, you begin to see its potential to bring deliverance. That was certainly so for Paul and Silas: ‘At midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed’ (Acts 16:25-26 NKJV). Change your attitude. Change your environment. Change your outlook. Start surrounding yourself with songs of deliverance!

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

The psalmist wrote, ‘You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance.’ When trouble comes, you can turn to God and hide in Him. How? By surrounding yourself with songs of deliverance. Ruth Ward Heflin gives us the road map into God’s presence: ‘You praise until the spirit of worship comes, you worship until the glory comes, then you stand in the glory.’ And that is where ‘all things are possible’. God told Jeremiah, ‘I am ready to perform My word’ (Jeremiah 1:12 NKJV). That includes His Word when it’s set to music. The harp David used to worship God on the hillsides while he tended his flocks was the same harp God used to deliver King Saul from the spirits that held him in the grip of depression. That wasn’t the only time God used a musician to bring about a miracle. When the people of Judah faced extinction because of drought, Elijah, the prophet, said, ‘“Now bring me a musician.” Then it happened, when the musician played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him. And he said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Make this valley full of ditches’”’ (2 Kings 3:15-16 NKJV). God filled every one of those ditches with water and gave them a spectacular victory over their enemies. Singer Julie True says: ‘On a spiritual level, music bypasses our mind and goes straight to our heart, soul, and spirit. It touches places that nothing else can reach…Worship opens the heavens and moves God’s heart.’

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

What does it mean to love God with all your strength? A pastor defines it: ‘It means expending tremendous amounts of energy for kingdom causes. It means blood, sweat, and tears. It means servanthood and sacrifice. It means good old-fashioned hard work. Energy may be the least appreciated dimension of love because it’s the least sentimental. And how we invest our energy reveals our true priorities.’ It reveals how much we love someone; in this case, God. The pastor continues: ‘Christianity was never intended to be a noun. And when we turn it into a noun, it becomes a turnoff. Christianity was always intended to be a verb. We’ve got to obey the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We’ve got to seize opportunities to serve…At the end of the day, God isn’t going to say, “Well said, good and faithful servant”…[but] “Well done, good and faithful servant.” Nothing is more fulfilling than burning calories for a kingdom cause. Anything less than leveraging all our strength for God’s purposes is boring at best and hypocritical at worst. So many Christians are so bored…so frustrated by the gap between their theology and reality. The way to close the gap, and the way to experience that holy rush of adrenaline again, is to break a sweat serving others. It can be as simple as babysitting for a single mum who needs a night out, serving in a ministry in your local church, or volunteering at a local nursing home. It doesn’t matter how big or how small, every calorie burned for a kingdom cause earns compound interest for eternity. And it’ll fill the emptiness in your soul with pure joy.’

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

The patriarch Job wrote to ‘speak to the earth, and it will teach you’. George Washington Carver is considered one of history’s greatest scientific minds. Around the turn of the twentieth century, agriculture in the southern states of America was suffering. The boll weevil was destroying cotton crops. And the soil was being emptied of nutrients because farmers planted cotton year after year. It was George Washington Carver who pioneered the idea of crop rotation. He urged farmers to plant peanuts, and they did. The plan revived the soil, but farmers were upset because there was no market for peanuts. Their plentiful peanut crops decayed in warehouses. When they grumbled to Carver, he did what he had always done – he prayed; he regularly got up at 4am, walked across the woods, and asked God to disclose the mysteries of nature to him. One of his favourite Scriptures was ‘speak to the earth, and it will teach you’. Carver literally asked God to reveal the secrets of nature, and God did. As a result, Carver discovered more than three hundred uses for the peanut. Or perhaps more accurately, the Lord revealed more than three hundred uses. They comprised everything from shaving cream to glue to cosmetics to soap to sauces to insecticide to linoleum to wood stains and to fertiliser. Carver said, ‘I love to think of nature as wireless telegraph stations through which God speaks to us every day, every hour, and every moment of our lives.’ Today God will speak to you in many different ways; you just have to be sensitive and listen.

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

Guess who said, ‘You are precious to me’? God. So don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Why is this important? Because understanding who you are as a person and genuinely believing that you merit love and attention from another person is essential to your self-worth. The capability to convey that successfully and in a considerate manner is essential for any healthy, mutually satisfying relationship. A sense of self-worth is not arrogance. It helps you to set boundaries and guarantees that no matter who you meet, those boundaries will never be compromised. Often when we feel used in relationships, it’s because we have permitted those boundaries to be crossed. Or worse, we have never thought about where the boundaries should be. The way to prevent this situation is to be clear about who you are and what you are willing to do in a relationship. Disregarding the truth about another person, or yourself, may be okay temporarily, but over time, it usually leads to disaster. With a solid foundation of knowing who you are and what you represent, you will possess the bravery to ask the right questions and discern the answers. You will acquire information and evidence that help you realise who a person really is and if they fit into your life. You will be truthful with yourself and others about who you are, your needs, and the way you want to live your life. Outside your relationship with God, there is no other more important relationship than the one you have with yourself. God says, ‘You are precious to me.’ Believe it, and live accordingly.

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

A Christian leader informs us: ‘There was not a bigger social happening in Jewish life than a wedding. It usually began with a ceremony at sundown in the synagogue. Then the entire wedding party would leave the synagogue and begin this long candlelight procession through the middle of town. The couple would be escorted past as many homes as possible so everyone could come out and congratulate them…They went home to a party lasting several days! There would be gift-giving, speech-making, wining and dining. Hospitality at a wedding was considered such a sacred duty that the master at the wedding could actually be sued for “breach of hospitality”. So running out of food or wine was considered a tremendous insult.’ It’s notable that Jesus’ first miracle was not healing cancer or raising the dead but resolving a domestic crisis and rescuing newlyweds from embarrassment. It’s a mistake to think that God only cares about major stuff like divorce, bankruptcy, or death. He also cares about minor stuff like broken dishes, toothaches, grumpy bosses, lost dogs, flat tyres, and late flights. The Bible says, ‘Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you’ (1 Peter 5:7 NLT). What matters to you matters to Jesus. Notice that when these newlyweds sent out wedding invitations, they sent one to Jesus. And He showed up and met their need. Notice also how it happened. Mary, the mother of Jesus, said to them, ‘Whatever He says to you, do it.’ What Jesus told them to do didn’t seem rational, but when they obeyed, they received a miracle. And if you will pray, trust God, and obey Him, He will work a miracle for you too.

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

A minister writes: ‘Between the human race and God stands a barrier called sin. If we are going to be reconciled with a perfect God, that barrier has to be dealt with. We cannot go around it or over it. Sin demands a payment. Jesus came specifically to make that payment. He lived a perfect life and died a sacrificial death to pay for everything we’ve ever done in the past, present, and future. If your home is on fire, you had better call a firefighter and not a policeman. If you break a leg, you had better call a doctor and not a firefighter. If your home is broken into, you had better call a policeman and not a doctor. If you are drowning, you had better call a lifeguard, not a plumber. If, as a sinful human being, you want to come to a righteous God, you had better get in touch with the Saviour, because He is the only one who can help.’ Jesus didn’t merely say, ‘Come to me, and I’ll show you the way.’ He said, ‘I am the way.’ He is the way to forgiveness. He is the way to peace and joy. He is the way to fulfilment in life. And He is as close to you today as a prayer. Here it is: ‘Lord Jesus, I believe that you died for me on the cross and paid for my sins and that through faith in you, I am made righteous and reconciled to God. I accept you today as my Lord and Saviour and receive from you the gift of everlasting life. Amen.’

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

There is a story about a man who had his picture taken. When he saw it, he said to the photographer, ‘This picture doesn’t do me justice!’ The photographer looked at him, smiled, and said, ‘With a face like yours, you don’t need justice; you need mercy and grace!’ Seriously, that’s the situation we are all in. And the reason God extends mercy and grace to us is because Jesus fulfilled all the demands of God’s justice for us at the cross. Some people think that God’s grace (unmerited favour) atones for all your sins up until the moment you make Christ your Saviour. But from then on, you have to earn it and prove yourself worthy of it by your performance, like a joint effort. So instead of trusting alone in Christ’s performance on the cross, they trust also in their own performance. Here is the problem: there are three ways to sin – commission, omission, and disposition. If you commit one of these sins every day, that’s over one thousand sins a year. And if going to heaven depends on your remembering and repenting of each of them, what if you forget? Don’t worry; God has you covered! ‘If anyone should sin, we have an Advocate (One Who will intercede for us) with the Father – [it is] Jesus Christ [the all] righteous [upright, just, Who conforms to the Father’s will in every purpose, thought, and action]’ (v. 1 AMPC). Only one person measures up to God’s standards: Jesus! And when you place your trust in Him, you are unconditionally loved and accepted by God.

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

This happened when Chuck Swindoll was speaking in California: ‘A gentleman came to him and said, “I have waited so long for this week, I am going to eat up everything you have to say.” Swindoll thanked him. Sunday night…the man started nodding [off]. Swindoll figured that he’d had a long drive and was probably tired. It happened each night until the conference ended. As a preacher…it didn’t feel good to see someone sleeping on him. On Friday morning, the lady who was sitting next to him came to Swindoll and said, “I want to thank you for the ministry this week. Oh, and by the way, I am sorry about my husband sleeping on you…He has terminal cancer and the doctors have just given him a couple of weeks to live. When we talked about what he wanted to do before he died, he said, ‘I want to go hear Chuck Swindoll.’ But you see, Dr Swindoll, the doctors gave him medicine to keep away the pain, and the medicine makes him sleep. I wanted to apologise to you that he has been sleeping, but I wanted you to know you made this the best week of the last part of his life.” Swindoll later said he could have crawled under a rock, because he had made a judgement and without any investigation he reacted.’ Why did Jesus say, ‘Judge not, that you be not judged’? Because there may be circumstances and factors at work in a person’s life that you don’t understand. So instead of judging them, extend to them the same grace God has extended to you.

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

Calvin Coolidge, the thirtieth US president, was known as a reserved man who spoke very little. One day when a reporter attempted to interview him, the conversation went like this: Reporter: ‘Do you wish to say anything about the war threat in Europe?’ Coolidge: ‘No.’ Reporter: ‘Do you have anything to say about the strike in the clothing factories?’ Coolidge: ‘No.’ Reporter: ‘Do you have anything to say about the League of Nations?’ Coolidge: ‘No.’ Reporter: ‘Would you care to comment on the farm production problem?’ Coolidge: ‘No.’ As the reporter was leaving the room, Coolidge unexpectedly called him back and said with a smile, ‘Don’t quote me!’ The Bible says, ‘For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven…A time to be quiet and a time to speak’ (vv. 1, 7 NLT). Never allow yourself to be pressured into saying something you don’t want to say or get drawn in when you don’t feel like talking. Silence isn’t a lack of communication; it’s a form of communication and can be a very effective one! Proverbs 29:11 (KJV) says, ‘A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.’ One thing is for sure, what you don’t say today, you won’t have to explain or apologise for tomorrow. If your tendency is to speak without thinking, or when you have nothing constructive to add, weigh the situation carefully and ask God for wisdom before deciding if you should speak or be quiet. Remember: ‘Even dunces who keep quiet are thought to be wise; as long as they keep their mouths shut’ (Proverbs 17:28 MSG).

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

When William Gladstone was Chancellor of the Exchequer in Britain, he requested that the Treasury send him certain statistics upon which he might base his budget proposals. Unfortunately, the statistician made a mistake, and Gladstone was so certain of this man’s reputation for accuracy that he didn’t take the time to verify his figures. As a result, Gladstone went before the House of Commons and gave a speech based on the incorrect information given to him. His speech was no sooner published than the inaccuracies were exposed, and he became the brunt of terrible public ridicule. When the chancellor sent for the statistician who had given him the inaccurate information, the man arrived full of fear and shame, certain he was going to be fired. Instead, Gladstone said, ‘I know how much you must be disturbed over what has happened, so I have sent for you to put you at ease. For a long time, you have been engaged in handling the intricacies of the national accounts, and this is the first mistake that you have made. I want to congratulate you and express to you my keen appreciation.’ Can you imagine the sense of relief, gratitude, and hope the man felt that day as he walked out of Gladstone’s office? It takes a Christlike person to extend mercy, to listen as well as talk, and to think before jumping into action. So instead of retaliating in anger today, pray, ‘Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips.’ When you begin to pray that way – and really mean it – it indicates that you’re growing in grace.

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

Impalas are one of the most powerful animals in Africa. They can leap to a height of more than ten feet and cover more than thirty feet in one jump. Yet the impala can be kept in an enclosure with a fence that’s no more than three feet high. Why? Because it won’t jump unless it can see where its feet will land. In a sense, impalas walk by sight, not faith. What does it mean to ‘walk’? To put one foot in front of the other and keep moving forwards a step at a time. What does it mean to have ‘faith’? To trust the Lord, obeying His Word regardless of how things look or feel to you. Now, faith doesn’t do away with intelligent thought and reason. But there is a difference. When intelligent thought and reason won’t take you another step, faith keeps right on going. Why? Because intelligent thought and reason hold the hand of a person and go only as far as they can travel, whereas faith holds the hand of God, the God who makes a way where there seems to be no way. That was Abraham’s story: ‘[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go’ (Hebrews 11:8 AMPC). Are you anxious about the future? Don’t be; just take the next step of faith, and you will be one step closer to the blessings and rewards that God has in mind for you.

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

Here is a tale of two cities: 1) Thessalonica rejected the truth. ‘Then Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures…saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ”…But the Jews who were not persuaded, becoming envious, took some of the evil men from the marketplace, and gathering a mob, set all the city in an uproar’ (vv. 2-3, 5 NKJV). 2) Berea received the truth. ‘Paul…went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men’ (vv. 10-12 NKJV). This is not just a tale of two cities but two mindsets. An open mindset and a closed mindset. A closed mindset says, ‘I believe I know all there is to know about this subject,’ and an open mindset says, ‘I’m grateful for what I know, but I believe there is more to know.’ But a word of caution! Just because a speaker says something doesn’t mean you should accept it without question. A leader who seeks to honour God won’t be offended when you question what they say. The Bereans ‘received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.’ Whose teachings were they checking out? Paul’s, the author of half the New Testament! So the word for today is – always be open-minded.

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

‘Stir up the gift of God which is in you.’ 2 Timothy 1:6 NKJV

Paul told Timothy, ‘Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.’ That Scripture means, even though you’re gifted, you can become apathetic if you don’t keep doing the right things. ‘Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away’ (Hebrews 2:1 NKJV). The word ‘drift’ is not only slow and subtle, it’s deadly. Let’s look at two of the things that can rob you of your passion, enthusiasm, motivation, and focus. 1)Lack of goals.‘Without a vision the people perish’ (see Proverbs 29:18). What used to enthuse you? What destroyed your interest in it? Is it a desire you could revive? Put it down in writing. Ignore the potential cost or reasons it might not work. Just indulge your mind in the luxury of feeling optimistic and excited about something, even a small thing. 2)Wrong goals.Are you pursuing a goal you feel was imposed upon you by someone else? Or like Jonah before he was swallowed by the whale, possibly you’re rowing against the tide of God’s will for your life. Check with Him and see if this is so. Did God really lead you to pamper yourself in that extravagant item that’s now requiring you to work two jobs? Or maybe the time has come to an end for a goal that was part of God’s plan for a specific season of your life. Moving on is sometimes difficult, but oh, the joy and peace of knowing that you are in the centre of God’s perfect will!