Good Words for Today

Oh, for the wonderful love He has promised, Promised for you and for me! Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon, Pardon for you and for me. From "Softly and Tenderly" by Will Thompson.

Psalm 103:2 calls us to “bless the Lord, and do not forget all his benefits.” That’s important because most of us are better at complaining than praising. Sometimes we need to give ourselves a good talking-to. We’re good at telling the Lord what we want him to do for us. We need a good dose of Psalm 103 to wash out that complaining spirit and replace it with a heart of gratitude to the Lord.

Better to run away from temptation than to wish you had.

Forgive us, Father, because even those of us who know you have forgotten your son, Jesus Christ. We brag so much about what we have done. We speak too much of ourselves and too little of Jesus. We have forgotten that without him, we couldn’t live even one more day. Refocus our hearts and minds on who Jesus is and what He did. Help us to live for him 100%. In Jesus’ name. Amen!

“Every experience God gives us, every person he puts in our lives, is the perfect preparation for the future that only he can see.” Corrie ten Boom

Every time we sin, we go in one of two directions. Either we turn to God in repentance, or we turn away from God in rebellion. There is no third choice.

God intends that all of us should pass through the School of Sorrow. But thank goodness, school doesn’t last forever. Those who stay in school and learn their lessons well will one day be greatly rewarded. In the end, no one will regret the sufferings of this life. The blackest moments will be transformed into eternal light, and we will shine like the sun forever.

Salvation always begins with God. He makes the first move, and if he didn’t make the first move, we would make no move at all.

Lord Jesus, I dare not go one more day without your blessing. Show me what needs to change so that your Spirit may fill me once again. Amen.

A thousand generations falling down in worship To sing the song of ages to the Lamb And all who've gone before us, and all who will believe Will sing the song of ages to the Lamb From "Holy Forever" by Chris Tomlin.

Death is never the last word in the life of a righteous man. Abel was murdered, yet he is the one who went to heaven. Hebrews 11:4 says of Abel that although he is dead, yet he still speaks to us. It’s ironic that when he was on earth, his faith could not even convince his brother, yet now that he is dead, his faith speaks to the whole world. And he is more alive today than he was when he lived on the earth. This is what faith does. Though the world hate us, and may even kill us, it cannot destroy us. Not even death itself can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Once upon a time, a man built a ladder to heaven. He built it out of his own good works, one rung at a time. After many years of effort, he was only two rungs short of heaven. After much effort and numerous good works, he finally reached the top. Suddenly, the door to heaven swung open, and there stood Jesus Christ, who said to him, “I am the Door. If anyone climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber.” And the door slammed shut in the man’s face. Friends, there is only one way to heaven—Jesus Christ. And the only way of salvation is through simple faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Too many people are feverishly building their ladders to heaven through their good works and their religious observance. Alas, the door to heaven will be slammed shut when they reach the top. You either enter through Jesus, or you don’t enter at all.

In the end, we are all driven to the cross of Jesus Christ. The ground is level at the foot of the cross. Because we have all sinned, we all stand in need of forgiveness. That's why Jesus died. When you say, “I have sinned,” you will hear the Father say from heaven, “You are forgiven.”

Lord of my life, give me long-range vision to see that even my difficulties have a purpose in your eternal plan. Amen.

Sometimes people say, “Life begins at 40.” How wrong they are. Life begins at Calvary. Life begins the moment you put your trust in Jesus Christ. Life begins at the cross when you bow the knee and say, “Thank you, Lord Jesus, for dying for me.”

Heavenly Father, we thank you that your plan spans the centuries. We thank you that history really is His Story. Give us faith to believe that Jesus Christ has done enough, and all that is left for us is simply to believe. Amen.

Cause all my life You have been faithful And all my life You have been so, so good With every breath that I am able Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God.

You can have a personal relationship with Jesus, but you’ve got to die first. That means turning away from your dream of being good enough to go to heaven. If you are willing to die to that fantasy, you can be quite literally born again into a brand-new life.

A better day is coming for the people of God. What is incomplete will be made complete. What is unfinished will be finished. What is lacking will be made full. What is partial will be made whole. What is less than enough will be far more than adequate. What is broken will be fixed. What is hurt will be healed. What is weak will be made strong. What is temporary will be made permanent. God has promised to do it, and he cannot lie. Has God begun a good work in your life? Do you feel incomplete and unfinished? Fear not, child of God. He will complete his work in you.

There was a little first-grade boy who was quoting John 3:16 in Sunday school. And as little boys often do, he misquoted a crucial word. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only forgotten son.” The problem with so many of us is that we have forgotten God’s only son. We’re so proud of what we’ve done. We’re so proud of our good works, we’re so proud of our religiosity, that we’ve forgotten what Jesus did for us.

If you thought sin was fun, try some holiness for a while. It’s really fun! There’s no bad aftertaste, and there’s no guilty conscience, and there’s nothing left to be remorseful about. Sin satisfies for a little while. Holiness satisfies forever.

So many of us look at a difficult situation and pray, “Lord, change my situation.” That’s not usually God’s will. Much more often the difficult situation has come as a means of making us grow spiritually. God often brings difficulty into our lives to deepen our total dependence on him. When that happens, we ought to pray, “Lord, change me so that I can face this situation.” That’s a prayer God is pleased to answer.

Don't forget to tell people that you love them. They forget, so tell them again.

Are we living in the last days? Yes! In one sense, we've been living in the last days for 2000 years. In a deeper sense, we are rushing headlong toward the climax of history. Do not despair. Stand strong. Speak up. These are wonderful days to serve the Lord. Jesus is coming soon!

Lord Jesus, it is so easy to make excuses for the way we live. Forgive us for trying to make deals with you. Bring us to the place where we will say, “I am ready to do your will with no strings attached.” Amen.

Most of our plans don’t stand. They are like the leaves that blow away in the autumn wind.  But when God determines to do something, it will happen. You can write it down and take it to the bank. You can make all the speeches you want and announce your long-range plans, your ten-year goals, and your personal objectives. But remember this. When you are finished, God always gets the last word.

Today is my 73rd birthday. That in itself is not remarkable, but I remember what a Nigerian friend wrote on my birthday 16 years ago: "May God’s immeasurable blessings envelop you on this day. May you be taught of Him to number your days aright. May all the blessings of the Lord accrue to you bountifully. May your dreams materialize in this celebration. May God’s favor encompass you and drive you through your destiny. May your days be numbered like Methuselah!" Then he added this sentence: "May you by next celebration have more reasons for thanksgiving." That's my desire--more praise and more thanksgiving as the years roll on. PS: According to Genesis 5:27, Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. By those standards, I’m just getting started!

“Make love your plan. There’s less to write down that way.” Bob Goff

“There is a fountain filled with blood Drawn from Immanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood Lose all their guilty stain.” William Cowper, 1772

Where is Satan attacking today? He’s coming for our kids. He’s attacking marriage itself. He’s going after our families. That's why our best witness to the watching world is a man and a woman joined together in Christian marriage who raise their children to know and love the Lord. Unbelievers can attack our theology, but they have no answer for a loving Christian family.

No one is ever forgotten or overlooked by the Lord. Those who today stand strong in their faith will one day shine as the brightest stars in the firmament. God is not so unjust as to forget those who labor in obscurity for him.  

“When we’ve been there ten thousand years,      Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise      Than when we've first begun.”

Death is like planting the seed in the ground. If you never plant the seed, you never reap the harvest. Write it down in big letters. If you want to be raised from the dead, you have to die first. That’s why death has lost its sting, and the grave has been robbed of its victory. Through Jesus Christ, death now becomes the doorway to immortal glory.

Thank you, Lord, for our critics because you are using them to make us more like Jesus. Amen.

Loving Lord, we know that all things work together for good to those who love you. When we are tempted to sin, give us wisdom to choose the way of escape while we have the chance. May we not trifle with sin and so be brought down in shame and disgrace. Give us a strong desire to do the right thing no matter what it costs. Help us to see your fingerprints even in the hard experiences of life. May our trials make us more like Jesus day by day. Amen.

Our hope is in the Lord, not in medicine or technology or politics. It’s quite possible things will get worse before they get better. Let’s get ready for Jesus’ return, and then let’s make sure our friends and loved ones are ready too. There are many things we know and many things we don’t know about the future. This much is certain: Jesus is coming again, and his coming may happen sooner than we think.

All things are moving according to God's divine plan. There are no mistakes with the Lord. You may say, "All things are against me," but it is not so. All things are for you, but you may not yet see it. When faith becomes sight, we will look back on our earthly journey and say, "Jesus led me all the way."

A businessman was on a long flight home when the airplane hit turbulence. Thunder cracked, and high winds blew the plane up and down, like a cork bobbing on the water. Lightning flashed across the sky. The other passengers were terrified. But then he noticed a young girl who seemed unconcerned. She tucked her feet under her seat and calmly read a book. When the plane finally landed, the businessman asked her why she wasn’t frightened. “My father is the pilot,” she replied, “and he’s taking me home.” That’s the faith we need in these uncertain days. Our Father is the pilot, and he will make sure we get home safely.