Word For You is no longer available in print or digital format although the archive of previous readings will remain available on this page for some time yet. If you'd like to continue with Word For You, you can listen to each day's devotional on the UCB Player app.
UP OUT: GETTING IT SORTED (1)
pnbsp;br /
If yoursquo;re feeling a bit got at, it could be that Godrsquo;s taking you through a period of correction. But thatrsquo;s okay. Parents, teachers, pastors, difficult mates and even-more-difficult colleagues can all be used as part of Godrsquo;s cosmic plan to discipline you. You might roll your eyeballs when some of them turn round to you saying that lsquo;itrsquo;s for your own goodrsquo;, but the reality is that it is. You may not want to hear this, but itrsquo;s actually pretty impressive that God arranges those difficult times or people into your life for you to learn lessons that actually make you holier...br /
nbsp;br /
God knows though, yeah? Hebrews 12:11 admits that, lsquo;no discipline is enjoyable when itrsquo;s happening ndash; itrsquo;s painful!rsquo; (NLT)nbsp; The light at the end of the tunnel is the end product: yoursquo;ll be closer to God, with a more mature relationship, and better equipped to deal with the naff stuff of the world. (A stronger ldquo;Uprdquo; and a better ldquo;Outrdquo;).br /
nbsp;br /
A warning: Being disciplined does NOT mean being punished. God hasnrsquo;t gone off you. If you emare/em feeling that way, check that yoursquo;re not being convicted of sin and get real with Him, but once yoursquo;ve done that, stand tall securely in His forgiveness and love for you. When you know God isnrsquo;t standing against you through your trials, you can know that Hersquo;s standing emwith/em you. And if thatrsquo;s the case, (to paraphrase Romans 8:31), embring it on/em.br /
nbsp;br /
strongemWhat now?/em/strongbr /
The big decider for how well you come out of the hard times is how you see ldquo;being disciplinedrdquo;. Option 1: You shout back, assert your ldquo;rightsrdquo; and make life difficult for as many people as you can. Not Jesusrsquo; style. Option 2: Look for God in your difficult situation - what would He allow this to happen for? What can you grow in here? How can you live like Jesus would?/p
The UCB Word For You
Read More