The Best of the Word for Today: The One-Year Daily Devotional

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He continued saying, “Bob had a huge heart for ministry and wanted to ensure that when he finally did go to be with the Lord, the work would continue.” Several years ago Bob and his team went on an extended writing project ensuring that UCB Word for Todaywould continue long after he passed away.

The Word For Today is freely given to anyone who asks! We are able to do this through the generous donations of other readers, who desire you and others to receive the devotional for free. Bob was an itinerant preacher having a TV show for a time in the United States. When he married his incredible wife Debby in 1991 he was given a prophecy. It said that his writing would reach more people than his preaching ever would. Soon afterwards the UCB Word of Today began with a print run of 3500. As times changed Bob’s printed writings went to 400,000 people every quarter and quarterly digital reach to over 7.6 million people. Debby co-authored the daily devotions in The Word for Today, and Bob’s sister, Ruth, serves as a research assistant. Together, they have written a decade’s worth of devotionals ready for future publications of The Word for Today. Millions of people throughout the world receive The Word for Today quarterly — and testimonies flood in, demonstrating how many lives are blessed by it. When it comes to growth, Christ is our example. The Bible says that He ‘…grew in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and men.’ (Luke 2:52 NIV) To enjoy favour with God and others you must keep growing spiritually, mentally and emotionally. That requires you to do two things: (1) Never stop learning. Every experience in life, including the ones you don’t enjoy, yields knowledge that can make your future better than your present. But you have to look for it. The downside to the internet and smartphones is that you get endless ‘hits’ of information you don’t process or glean anything from. Instead of letting life just ‘happen’ to you, you need to stop and ask yourself, ‘What’s really happening here? I’m hearing it, but what does it mean?’ You are body, soul, and spirit, so you need to ask, ‘Am I healthy physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually?’ No one can answer that question but you. (2) Never stop developing your talents. When asked as an old man why he still practiced six to eight hours every day, one of the world’s best violinists replied, ‘Because I think I’m getting better.’ What a great attitude! It’s not enough just to live longer; you’re supposed to get better! Paul told Timothy, ‘…Stir up the gift…which is in you…’ (2 Timothy 1:6 NKJV) Wesley Tracy said, ‘Some people have the notion that following your spiritual gift is spending the days and years of your life doing only those things which come naturally, easily, with no effort, discipline or practice. No, your gift can either be mediocre or excellent; it’s up to you.’Written by Bob and Debby Gass, it’s Australia’s most widely read devotional, with more than 90,000 copies printed every quarter and more than 150,000 readers. In addition to his passion for his family and his calling to share God's Word, Bob and Debby shared a deep passion for the orphans of Romania. They first went to Romania in 1991, and in the last 28 years they built a transition home called The Village of Hope. Through this ministry they have rescued over 5,000 children from the streets, the sex-trade, and orphanages and placed them into loving homes.

Unless otherwise noted, all Bible verses are from the Authorised King James Version or the New King James Version. In addition to his passion for his family and his calling to share God’s Word, Bob and his wife Debby shared a deep passion for the children of Romania. They first went to Romania in 1991, two years after the fall of the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. On that trip, they saw firsthand what had been named by the U.S. and world news as “The Romanian Orphan Crisis.” Bob preached his first sermon at 13, writing it out in a school exercise book. Until his passing in June 2019, he continued to write out each reading for The Word for Today longhand on a yellow legal pad rather than use technology. When you don’t have the answer. ‘Call to me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know’ (Jeremiah 33:3).

Each year we place 350 children into loving families.

I believe we all have a kingdom destiny. We are each called by God to be priests and as believers, we all have access to the same anointing. The same Holy Spirit, the same presence of God rests on each of us and we need to get the message of the gospel to this culture. We live in a world where people are searching for happiness and looking for it in drugs, multiple relationships and money. People think that if they get just one more thing or make some more money, they will be happy. But that is not the answer. We have the answer and His name is Jesus Christ.” Bob wrote, ‘I never did get to go to Bible school, but I had a one-on-one teacher in the form of my pastor friend. He taught me so much; to memorise Scripture, how to speak, how to behave in people’s homes. He held my feet to the fire and kept me accountable. So in my heart, I have always been called to the ministry, but while the calling has never changed, the method has.’

When we spend time with God in daily Bible study, He gives us courage and faith, even in the middle of changing times.Over seven years, over 20 million copies of Bob Gass quarterly devotionals were printed. Each day more than one million people read his ideas, insights and illustrations and every week 3,000 readers wrote to say, "It's just what I needed today." This volume contains 365 of best days.

In 1998, Bob launched The Word For You Today in the U.S. He wanted to give churches a tool that would help pastors disciple their members and keep them engaged with God's Word on a daily basis. Today over 5,000 churches each quarter use the devotional, with a reach of 1 million copies per quarter. The devotional is in print, on television, radio, and digital platforms in places like Africa, Argentina, Cuba, China, Ecuador, India, Mexico, Nepal, and Russia, and currently reaches over 83 million people each day. When a believer goes to be with Jesus, we feel the loss personally, but the Word tells us that ‘that we do not grieve like those who have no hope (I Thessalonians 4), as we know that one day, we will be reunited. We also know that in times of grief and loss, the Word and God’s love sustains us and helps to mend broken hearts. Bob’s vision for The Word for Today is ‘to whet your appetite so much that you’ll say, ‘Wow! I didn’t know that was in the Bible! Maybe I’d better go and read it for myself.”’Bob always described his mother as a formative influence in his life, encouraging him to attend church as often as possible.