Good Words for Today
Occasionally someone asks me if I get scared or nervous before I preach. The answer is yes, and it happens every single time. No matter how many times I’ve preached or how well prepared I am, there is always a sense of nervousness that comes just before I stand up. I hope I don’t ever lose that, because if I do, I need to get out of the pulpit. If speaking for Christ ever becomes routine, then something has gone wrong inside your heart. We need “holy nervousness” when we witness to others lest we fail the Lord or fail the person to whom we are speaking.
“The power that is in the Gospel does not lie in eloquence of the preacher, otherwise men would be the converters of souls, nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning, otherwise it would consist of the wisdom of men. We might preach until our tongues rotted, till we would exhaust our lungs and die, but never a soul would be converted unless the Holy Spirit be with the Word of God to give it the power to convert a soul.” Charles Spugeon
Take small steps if you want to make big changes. Many times we give up on changing our situation because we want to do it all, do it now, and get it over with quickly. But you can’t lose 40 pounds in a week and you can’t learn German in a month and you can’t learn the Bible by swallowing a magic capsule. But great progress is possible with God’s help if we are willing to take small steps in a new direction one day at a time.
Faith is a choice, not a feeling. As I get a little older and wiser, this truth seems ever more important. God never asks me to explain the unexplainable. He simply asks me to trust him. That’s where the choice comes in. Faith chooses to believe in God even when I don’t feel like it.
If your life is a mess, ask Jesus to deliver you. Admit you can’t change and then cry out for his mercy. Ask him to chase the demons out of your life. Ask him to take away the torment. Ask him to change you from the inside out. Come humbly to Jesus and ask him to be your Lord and Savior. Run to the cross. Lay your burdens, your cares, your worries, and your fears upon the Son of God. Lay your sins and faults and failures on his strong back. If you come to Christ, he will not turn you away. When Christ answers, and he always does, go and tell others what he has done for you.
When Jesus speaks, God speaks. While we see his fingerprints everywhere, the best way to hear from him is to spend time daily reading his Word. Christ speaks to us through the Word of God. Are we listening?
When faced with a major decision, we should ask ourselves, “What difference will this make in 10,000 years?” Most things we worry about won’t matter in 3 weeks, let alone 3 months or 3 years. We focus on the trivial and forget to pursue the eternal. But 10,000 times 10,000 years from now, you’ll still be glad you invested your life for Jesus Christ.
When you focus on God, he takes responsibility for the details of your life. Obsessive concern over questions like “Should I get married?” or “Should I take this new job?” or “Which home should we buy?” leads you down the wrong trail. Focus on God. Focus on being faithful to him and knowing him. Focus on doing what God wants you to do. He will take care of the details of your life. That's a promise you can take to the bank.
Failure is a gift from God. By falling flat on our faces, we are forced to admit that without the Lord we can do nothing but fail. The quicker we learn that, the better off we will be. Failure never seems to be a good thing when it happens, but if failure strips away our cocky self-confidence, then failure is ultimately a gift from God.
Lord Jesus, in this shaky world you are the Cornerstone of the ages. Help us to build our lives upon the foundation that will never be moved. Amen.
The Word of God, preached in the power of God, always results in lives changed by God. This was how the tiny band of believers turned the world upside down in the first century. We must pray for God to do that again in our day. The world has no answer to a life radically changed by Jesus Christ. The world may answer our arguments, but it cannot answer the power of God let loose in the human heart.
"This is my Father’s world: Oh, let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet." From “This is My Father’s World” by Maltbie Babcock, 1901
Life isn’t fair, and the sooner we learn that, the happier we’ll be.
If you need a miracle, ask for one. There’s no extra charge for large requests.
“Don't bother to give God instructions; just report for duty.” Corrie Ten Boom
Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.
Hold lightly what you value greatly because it all belongs to God anyway.
Above the dark clouds, the sunlight of God's love shines forever.
Faith in Jesus Christ is not a leap into the darkness. Christian faith is standing on God’s truth and leaping from the darkness into the light.
It is better to limp through life trusting God completely than to strut in our self-confidence because that leads only to certain defeat.
God's faithfulness is the ground of our assurance. Sometimes believers struggle with assurance because we don't "feel" saved. But feelings have nothing to do with it. If you feel saved, that's good, and you should be grateful. But if you don't feel saved, trust God to keep his word anyway. Salvation rests not on your fickle feelings but on the unchanging promises of a God who cannot lie.
Heavenly Father, your blessings are so great that all the gold and silver in the world is nothing compared to the things you have prepared for us. Help me to live as one made rich by your grace. Amen.
Sometimes the first step forward is to stop doing what got you in trouble. When you're in a hole, stop digging!
All truth is narrow. If something is true, then many other things must not be true. If everything is true, then nothing is true. If truth depends on your opinion or on the latest Gallup poll, we can never know the truth about anything. That is why Christians insist on the concept of absolute truth. Without it, we have no faith to believe, only some warm, fuzzy sentimental feelings in our heart. That is not enough. We need to reassert once again to this crazy, mixed-up, confused generation exactly what Psalm 119:160 says regarding God: “All your words are true.”
Lord Jesus, please give me cheerful courage to stand up for what is right. Amen.
I need no other argument, I need no other plea, It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me. From "My Faith Has Found a Resting Place" by Eliza Edmunds
Do not be dismayed if you feel that you have made little progress spiritually. No matter how far we come, there is always more ground to cover for the Lord. Often when we think we’re going in circles, we are actually ascending the mountain of the Lord. Sometimes it takes a friend who can say, “Look how far you’ve come. I can see God’s work in your life.”
If you know Jesus, you have everything you need now and forever. Think of it. You are forgiven, redeemed, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. You have new life now, and someday you will spend eternity with Jesus in heaven. God is our Father, the Lord Jesus is our Shepherd, and the Holy Spirit is our counselor. The Bible is our guide, the church is our home, and heaven is our destination. Who’s got it better than we do? Nobody!
God is at work in your life. Right now, you are rough and uncut, and God is patiently chipping away at you. In fact, he’s been chipping away at some of you recently, hasn’t he? Remember this. He will never intentionally hurt you. In the end, you will look like the Lord Jesus Christ.
If all we had were valleys, we would never see the mountains. If all we had were mountains, we would never explore the plains. If all we had were plains, we would never enjoy the forest. Life has many seasons, and each one has its place in God's plan for us.
Justification means that God has done everything necessary for you to go to heaven. His Son has paid the price for your sin. Nothing you can do can add in the least bit to your salvation. Thank God, you don’t have to be good to go to heaven. All you have to do is believe.
All other ground is sinking sand.
“I was trying to be a super hero. Thank God He already sent us a Savior so I can retire my cape." That comes from a friend who is learning about forgiveness and the need to let go and let God do what only God can do. It seems like good advice for all of us. You're not a super hero. Put down your cape. Jesus is all you need for everything you will face today.