Tag Archives: Look Up

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 08.17.2023.

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We are one day closer to the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”‘” – Matthew 4:4

This famous, and often used verse, contains the words our Lord used when He was confronted by the devil after fasting in the wilderness. The Scriptures often refer to the wilderness as pointing to times of testing, trials, and even death. God also uses the wilderness to be a blessing by revealing Himself. We see wilderness experiences in the life of God’s people, Israel. Also, in the lives of Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, Paul, and the Apostle John.

I believe we have entered one of those “wilderness” times that God will use to bring us to the place He desires for His church to be. And although it may be a time of trial and testing, it could also be a time of great blessing, if we remember the most important thing the Lord taught us during His time in the wilderness. Jesus turned to the only resource He knew that would get Him through when He said, “It is written!”

Until the Lord comes for us, it looks like the days ahead may be a time of testing for us as the church. It will be important for us to keep some of those familiar verses we know in the front of our minds, as we go through whatever it is we may be facing. As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, we need to “take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (6:13). And a vital part of that armor is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (6:17). Mark my words, it will be crucial for us to be prepared to use God’s Word in response to whatever may come our way. And the best way to be prepared is to follow the pattern set forth by our wonderful Savior.

May God bless you all, as we follow the Lord on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 08.15.2023.

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We are one day closer to the coming of our glorious King, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly.” – 1 Corinthians 9:24-26

In the past months, I have to say we’ve had some very interesting discussions around the dinner table. After a couple of these conversations, I wished we had the recorder going, so we could share them with you. Since that wasn’t the case, let me attempt to pass one of them along to you, in hopes it may edify the rest of the body in some small way.

The part I will share deals with the above verse from the Apostle Paul. We often “talk” about how God wants us to prepare for the day when He comes and brings us into His kingdom. At times like we are in today, we hope for His return soon. Amen? But the question I asked in our conversation was, “If you knew that in a few months you had to run a marathon or, perhaps, compete in the Run For Your Life Obstacle Course, what would you be doing until then?” I hope the obvious answer would reflect what Paul wrote for us above, “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.”

Let me ask YOU! How’s it going? Are you ready for what God has in store for us when His kingdom comes? Have you been taking time to prepare for that coming day? Or are you just counting the days, waiting for the “Great Transformation Day” to come, when we are all changed in the twinkling of an eye?

In his book, An Undivided Love, Adolphe Monod writes, “Earthly life only intercepts heavenly life in order to prepare for it. It is not the barrier to heavenly life; it is its apprenticeship and training.” Peter tells us that God, by “His divine power, has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. By these He has given us very great and precious promises, so that through them you may share in the divine nature, escaping the corruption that is in the world because of evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4).

One of the obvious things about “training”, is that for training to happen, we need a trainer! Well, the Lord has provided for that need. Remember, He has given us EVERYTHING required. To help us in our training, God has, first and foremost, given us His Word. But He has also given us, His Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth. And also, all those who have gone before us, whom we can learn from and follow them as they have followed Christ. Not to mention everyone else, in the body of Christ, God has given us, to help along the way!

Jesus said, “every student of Scripture instructed in the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who brings out of his storeroom what is new and what is old” (Matthew 13:52). I want to encourage you all. God has given us so many ways to help each other in our training and preparation to live the kingdom life. We dare not ignore them. And truth be told, the “waiting” is really over. Jesus said, “God’s Kingdom doesn’t come with observation; neither will they say, ‘Look, here!’ or, ‘Look, there!’ for behold, God’s Kingdom is within you!” (Luke 17:20-21). Let’s get running, so that when the King returns, He will find us doing what we know we should, and He can say to us all, “Well done!”

May the Lord bless us all on our Mission, serving our King today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 08.12.2023.

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We are one day closer to the coming of the Prince of Peace, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” – Colossians 3:15-17

Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom, said, “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. If you look at God you’ll be at rest.” With today’s technology and being able to “look at” all that is going on in the world, it’s not hard for something out there to cause us concern, whatever “it” may be. It can all be very unsettling and distressing. And, all too often, it consumes our thinking and leads to depression. But let’s not get distracted. God has promised us a glorious future together to look forward to! Not to mention all the opportunities He gives us every day to share our hope with others. He’s coming soon, right? So, let’s all take Corrie’s advice to heart! Keep your eyes on the Lord, and He will give you rest and peace.

God bless you all as we serve Him on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 08.11.2023.

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Good morning family! We are one day closer to the coming of the One who makes us righteous, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” – Matthew 5:20

When the people heard Jesus make this statement, I’m sure they were all shocked and wondered, “Then how can we get in?”, and then it would have hit them. They couldn’t. At least not apart from some miracle. And that miracle would come from the one they were listening to. Jesus is the only one who “exceeds the righteousness” of any person who ever lived, and He will give His righteousness to all who will believe in Him and the payment He paid on the cross to cover our unrighteousness. “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Praise God that it is “by grace you have been saved through faith…not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). AMEN!

May the Lord bless you all, as we walk in His righteousness on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 08.09.2023.

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We are one day closer to the return of the One who gives us life by His Spirit, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” – Matthew 3:10

In this passage, John the Baptist warned the religious leaders of the Jews that judgement was coming, and that they needed to “bear fruits worthy of repentance”, or suffer “the wrath to come” (vs.7-8). I think it’s pretty important that everyone understands just what that “fruit” is, because if the Jewish leaders didn’t have “good fruit”, what about the poor everyday sinner on the street? Thank God He has told us, and John reveals to us in the next verse that it can be none other than the fruit of the “Holy Spirit”, which Jesus would come and “baptize you with” (v.11). It’s the fruit of a changed life, and a repentant heart made new by the power of God’s Spirit. Paul gives us a detailed description of it.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).

And it can all be ours through faith in God’s one and only Son, Our Savior, Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

God bless you all as we walk in His Spirit on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 08.05.2023.

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We are one day closer to the coming of the One who has made us heirs to the Kingdom of God, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” – Titus 4:3-7

If you ever start to lose your motivation in your walk with the Lord, just remember this passage. Because of His kindness, love, mercy, and grace, we have become heirs to the kingdom of God! He made us LEGALLY QUALIFIED to receive it! All we are waiting for is Jesus to come and usher us into His glorious presence! And it’s all because of what HE did for us. Wow!

Lord, help us not to forget all You have done for us. Give us the motivation and desire to follow your word, and show others the love we have for You. Amen.

God bless you all as we live for Him on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 08.04.2023.

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We are one day closer to the coming of the one who God promised will return, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior.” – Titus 1:1-3

In the Book of Genesis, we find the familiar first words, “In the beginning.” In Hebrew, these three words are recorded as “Berisheet”. However, the word Berisheet was written in a picture script, or pictographs, with each “letter” telling a story. The amazing thing is the story in the word Berisheet, is the story Paul is talking about in our passage today, the “hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began”. That “hope” is the gospel story that tells us of the death, burial, and resurrection of our Savior. And it’s in the very first words of the Bible. Amazing!

Here is a link to a short, two minute video by Rock Island Books about what I’ve said here. They also have a longer study on this for those who would like to know more. It’s truly a fascinating study, and well worth taking the time to watch.

God bless you all as we wait and watch for our Savior on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 07.27.2023.

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We are one day closer to the return of the One who will reward us at His coming, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” – 2 Timothy 2:15

What a true blessing it is to know there is NOTHING we can do to earn our salvation. As Paul says, “It is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). But once we have received that gift of salvation, God’s word makes it clear that we have some work to do. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesian 2:10). Part of that work, as Paul says, is “rightly dividing the word of truth”. Paul was a tentmaker by trade, and the term “rightly dividing” means: to cut straight, so the pieces fit together correctly. I think Paul is trying to tell us, we need to know the word of God so that we don’t have gaps in our tents! So keep up the good work, family. The One we are working for is coming soon!

God bless you all as we work together on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 07.25.2023.

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We are one day closer to the return of the One who is coming to take us home, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.” – Genesis 5:23-24

The only thing we can learn from this passage as to why the Lord “took him”, is that “Enoch walked with God”. I’m sure we all understand that this is not simply talking about a stroll in the park. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul says “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should WALK in them” (2:10), and he says we should, “WALK worthy of the calling with which you were called” (4:1) [Emphasis added]. In fact, he uses the word “walk” in almost all his letters to describe our lives as believers in Christ. So, how is YOUR walk? The day will be here soon for the Lord to come and take us, like He did for Enoch. I hope He finds us all walking “with” Him!

Lord, may we all be found walking with You on the day of your glorious coming! AMEN!

God bless you all, as we wait and watch for His return on our Mission today!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!

TODAY’S U.N.C.L.E. MISSION REMINDER – 07.12.2023.

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We are one day closer to the coming of the One who is the Light of the world, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Keep looking up!

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5

This is certainly an encouraging passage for the Body of Christ, knowing the times in which we are living. Because of our new life in Jesus, we have the promise that these dark days will not “overtake” us, and we will be saved from the “sudden destruction” coming “like a thief in the night” (vs. 2-3). But that is not true for those who have not trusted in the Lord as their Savior, and are still wandering in the darkness. For them, the Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and “as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (v.3). Let’s remember, God has given us the “light of life” (John 8:12), and we have the opportunity to shine it on others, that they, too, may escape from the darkness.

Lord, help each one of us be Your light in the world, on our Mission every day! God bless you all!

Brother Rick

U.N.C.L.E. HQ

If you want to know more, please contact us at: uncleministry@gmail.com

We wish to thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ without whom this ministry would not be possible.

U.N.C.L.E. Ministry is affiliated ONLY with Jesus Christ to build up the body of believers who comprise His church…for His glory!