Good Words for Today

Did you wake up worried? God is large and in charge. He can handle the details that scare you to death.

Death is the final enemy. It is the end of one thing and the beginning of. . . what? Modern men and women do not know how to finish that sentence. No wonder we are afraid. Jesus Christ says, ʺFear not, for I have conquered death.ʺ He was there. He died just like all men die. And he came back to tell the story. No one else has ever done that.

When we need courage, love, or discipline, we should never say, “We can‘t,” because in Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, God has said, “You can!”

When Jesus died, something stupendous happened in the spiritual realm. Although it was invisible to the naked eye, it was seen by all the angels and the Old Testament saints. They watched as Jesus entered the infernal regions and disarmed the ʺbad guysʺ one by one. Then he marched them in full view of his heavenly Father so that every created being would know that he had won the victory.

When God saves people, he doesnʹt do it because of any potential he sees in them. Most of us secretly feel (though we would never say it) that there must have been something in us worth saving. Human pride dies hard. But itʹs not as if God saw a musician and said, ʺWe need a good piano player in the church. I think Iʹll save him." Or, "Sheʹs got a lot of money, and we could use some extra cash for world missions." Or, ʺThose twins would make excellent ushers. I want them on my team." No, no, a thousand times no. God doesn't save on the basis of your potential. Apart from the grace of God, the only potential you have is the potential for eternal damnation.

God isn’t worried about anything. He’s not up in heaven wringing his hands over who’s going to win the election in November. He’s also not fretting about your next visit to the doctor. He’s not worried about your aging parents or your income taxes or whether or not you’re ever going to get married. God’s not worried about anything in your life or my life or about anything relating to the people we love. He’s in perfect control of the entire universe at all times. He’s working out his plan to perfection, and nothing can hinder him in the least degree.

“Stop trying to fix people. Point them to Jesus.” Caleb Kaltenbach

Father, I pray for my friends who don’t know Jesus. Grant them tender hearts to respond to the call of Your Spirit. Amen.

Father, thank you for sending your Spirit to tell me what to say when trouble comes. May I never be ashamed of Jesus or afraid to speak up for him. Amen.

What happens when we worship? When William Temple tried to define worship, he wrote a statement that is both beautiful and profound: To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, To feed the mind with the truth of God, To purge the imagination by the beauty of God, To open the heart to the love of God, To devote the will to the purpose of God. All of that is utterly countercultural. You don’t get that by spending hours on social media. Come to think of it, you won’t get that in the great universities of the world. Cambridge and Harvard can teach you how to think at a high level, but if you want to worship, you’ll need to go into the presence of God.

"Fill my cup, Lord; I lift it up Lord; Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more. Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole."

Heavenly Father, when I am tempted to give up, help me to keep going. Grant me a cheerful spirit when things don’t go my way. Give me the courage to do whatever needs to be done. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The moment we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit gives us a brand‑new wardrobe. We exchange the tattered rags of our self‑righteousness for the dazzling garments of a brand‑new life. For hatred, we receive love. For misery, joy. For bitterness, forgiveness. For cowardice, boldness. For stinginess, compassion. For pride, humility. For envy, contentment.

In our modern society, many people hold tragic misconceptions about who God is. Some think He is a hate‑filled, angry deity who seeks every opportunity to send people to hell; others picture him as a nice old man who sits benignly on a rocking chair in heaven. Against these false notions stands the simple yet majestic truth revealed by Jesus Christ: God has made himself known in the person of his Son. Those who come to him must come by way of Jesus Christ, or they can’t come at all.

"God would never make it in the travel industry because he is always leading his best clients into the wilderness." John Piper

Christ is not an “option” men may choose. He is not an “option” on a long menu of religious choices any more than gravity is an “option” we may disregard if we like. If you think gravity is an “option,” climb to the top of The Empire State Building, jump off, and see what happens! The result will not be a positive experience. Those who treat Jesus as an “option” will one day discover that ignoring him leads to eternal destruction.

Since the days of Jesus, Satan has been a defeated foe. Though he continues to fight against the Lord, his doom is sure, and his final destiny in the Lake of Fire is guaranteed by the victory Christ won at the cross.

Seven blessings of the Holy Spirit pictured as a dove (Matthew 3:16): 1) He brings peace to our souls. 2) He comes quietly, without fanfare. 3) He establishes a personal relationship with us. 4) He produces gentleness within. 5) He leads us toward purity, honesty, and a truly “harmless” life. 6) He brings God’s divine approval that we are indeed his children. 7) He leads us toward a beautiful, grace‑filled Christian life.

The world "as we know it” is coming to an end. There are many things we know and many things we don’t know about the future. This much is certain: Jesus is coming again. His return may be sooner than we think. Jesus is coming. Are you ready?

Nothing on earth or in heaven is more desirable than God. We may die, but even death itself cannot sever our relationship with God because it is as secure as God himself. As long as God is in heaven, we will be with him in glory. No wicked man can take that from us.

"Whoever hates correction will die" (Proverbs 15:10). Failure isn’t final, but it might be fatal if you learn nothing from it.

"In the beginning God." Ponder those four words. This is where all biblical truth begins. Miss this, and you'll miss the whole Bible. If you can believe Genesis 1:1, you won’t have any trouble with the rest of the Bible.

The Bible predicts a time in the last days when God will shake the nations so that those things that cannot be shaken will remain (Hebrews 12:26-27). When Eugene Peterson paraphrased the last part of verse 27 in The Message, he said that God will shake the earth, “getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered." Unshakable essentials. That says it all. God is shaking the earth so that we will figure out what matters most.

God of the impossible, may I never doubt your power or believe that you are not equal to my circumstances. Amen.

No one likes to admit their sin. Hiding and denying seem much more comfortable. But a red face and a few hot tears will go a long way to bring us back to God.

Lord Jesus, may I never take your blessings for granted or feel that I have advanced so far that sin cannot touch me, lest what happened to others should also happen to me. Amen.

Jesus isn’t looking for a good show. He wants your heart to be his.

"Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:38). To speak of “streams of living water” highlights four facts about the Spirit’s ministry in the believer: *He takes up residence within the “inner being.” *He “flows” with an inexhaustible supply. *He brings the life of God to the soul. *He satisfies the deep thirst inside every heart.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for remembering how weak I am. I praise You for the gift of the Holy Spirit, my Counselor, Helper, Comforter, and Friend. Amen.

Lord Jesus, grant that we might not be discouraged even a little bit by the things that happen around us. We want to pray and to pray more than we do. We ask for “praying grace” so that we will keep on praying when it would be easier to give up. Amen.

"The wind blows wherever it pleases" (John 3:8). The symbol of the Holy Spirit as God’s wind ought to greatly encourage us. How we need the fresh wind of the Spirit today! He alone can wake us out of our spiritual lethargy. He alone can dispel the toxic fumes of unbelief and carnality. He alone can bring the sweet aroma of heaven back into our lives.

“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). When Jesus walked out of the tomb, all his people came out with him. Let the people of God rejoice. “He is risen! He is risen indeed.”

After 2000 years, when we think of Pilate, we remember one thing. When he had a chance, he gave the wrong answer to the world’s most important question. We all have to answer the same question sooner or later:  What will you do with Jesus? May God give you grace to say, “Jesus, I give you my heart today!”

“Why did you strike me?” (John 18:23). Behold the enmity of sinners for the Son of God. In their anger, they attack the One who came to save them. In their rage, they mock the Savior of the world.  

We don’t need to go looking for trouble. If we are faithful to Christ, sooner or later, trouble will find us.

Pilate tried to wash his hands, but the stain remained. To say, “I don’t want to decide,” means “I lack the courage to choose.” Not to decide is to decide. No one can remain neutral about Jesus. “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me,” Jesus said. Which side are you on today?

“Crown Him the Lord of love! Behold His hands and side— Rich wounds, yet visible above. In beauty glorified. No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight, But downward bends His wond’ring eye At mysteries so bright.”

In the end we will discover that though we failed him a thousand times, he never failed us, not even once. You can trust him in the darkest hours of life because his Word has not failed. We may fail him, but he will not fail us. His Word will stand.