Good Words for Today

“Salvation is of the Lord.”  This is the hardest lesson for any of us to learn. Salvation starts with God and it ends with God. Some of us struggle a lifetime to learn that. Most of us have to learn it over and over again. Some people never learn it at all. But there is no salvation, no deliverance, and no getting better until we realize that if God doesn’t save us, we will never be saved.

Small obedience beats big plans every time. We can dream so much about tomorrow that we neglect to do the small things we ought to do today.

Lord Jesus, please give me cheerful courage to stand up for what is right. Amen.

Lord Jesus, I pray to be the kind of person who makes it easy for others to believe in you. Amen.

Your choices matter. We are all just one stupid mistake away from ruining our lives.

"Behold the man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders; Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice Call out among the scoffers. It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished; His dying breath has brought me life – I know that it is finished."

Prayer is a blessing, not a burden. God invites us to come to the Throne Room and bring our needs with us. Let us pray with confidence, expecting God will answer our prayers. Nothing is too great to ask, and nothing is too hard for the Lord.

You can’t have clean hands until you decide to wash off the dirt.

The prayer that changes the world first changes us.

Jesus has a kingdom. He is building it in human hearts around the world. Someday he will return and reign on the earth. That kingdom will never end. Why would you follow anyone else?

How will we survive when hard times hit? It all depends on your view of God. Is your God full of tenderness and overflowing with mercy? If so, you may be knocked down by circumstances, but you won’t stay down forever because the Lord will pick you up.

Consider the simplicity of honesty. You don’t have to remember your lies when you tell the truth.

Sometimes victory looks a lot like survival, and survival looks a lot like victory.

A good reminder for today: O be careful, little tongue what you say O be careful, little tongue what you say For the Father up above is looking down in love So be careful little tongue what you say.

Nothing destroys Christian unity quicker than a grumbling spirit. How many churches have been split, how many good ministries ruined, how many servants of the Lord have been injured because of the thoughtless grumbling of other believers. Brothers and sisters, think on these things!

If Jesus is with you, you are safer in the furnace than anyplace else on earth.

Some people don’t belong in your life. It’s okay to let them go. Some people drag us down. It’s okay to move on from them. You’re on a journey with the Lord. If some people don’t want to travel with you, that’s on them, not you. Let them go and keep walking with Jesus.

Self-pity is the enemy of all spiritual growth. Stop blaming others, and you can begin to grow in the Lord.

Lord Jesus, forgive us for our callous indifference to the hurting people we see every day. Make us burden-bearers who are not ashamed to help those who struggle under a heavy load. Help us reach out to those who have gone astray that we might win them back to you. Amen.

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

The blood of Jesus is so powerful that it completely covers all your sins. All means all. If you have trusted Christ, your sins are covered—yesterday, today, tomorrow, and forever.

It is possible to fall into grievous sin, but that's not where we belong, and we will not stay there forever. If you are a Christian, you won't be comfortable living in sin. The direction of your life will be away from sin and toward Jesus Christ. It has been said that "I would rather be one foot away from hell heading toward heaven than one foot away from heaven heading toward hell." Direction makes the difference.

Not all hills are worth dying on. We all know this is true, but it is a lesson we have to learn over and over. A bulldog can beat a skunk, but is it worth the fight? If we’re laying down bets, I’ll put my money on the bulldog every time. But he’ll end up smelling like a skunk even if he wins.

Faith is not a feeling. It's a choice we make moment by moment. Faith rests on the truth that God is who he said he is, and he will do what he said he would.

"The truth will set you free, but it will hurt you first." The truly free people are not those who do whatever they want. Truly free people have dared to let the truth hurt them, and in the process of being hurt, they have been set free.

When God himself grips your soul, every day will be Sunday, and worship will be as natural as breathing.

Repentance starts when we say, "Lord, you were right all along, and I was wrong." But that should not be hard for us to say because when we sin, we are always wrong, and God is always right.

Lord, help me to enjoy each day as a gift from you. Amen.

When people ask me what they can do to help others, my answer is always the same. Start where you are. Open your eyes to see the hurting faces you meet every day. Our greatest problem is not that we won't help hurting people; it's that all too often we don't even see them in the first place.

When I feel like giving up on life, Lord, grant me the gift of endurance so I won’t give up on you. Amen.

Sometimes we forget how powerful the gospel is and how easy it is for a sinner to be saved. I have been preaching for fifty-five years, and I can say with conviction that I have never known a sinner whom Christ would not receive. I know thousands of people who have experienced the life‐transforming power of a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The prayer that changes the world begins and builds on what God has already revealed. When you pray, stand on the promises of God.

I heard about a billboard advertising the cardiac services of Christ Hospital. The billboard reads: "Christ is #1 in Open Heart Surgeries." I donʹt know about the hospital, but I can vouch for its namesake. Jesus Christ is indeed #1 in open‐heart surgery. He has never lost a case yet. When you come to him, he gives you a brand‐new heart.

"No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched.” George Jean Nathan

Living Lord, forgive me for doubting your good purposes. Thank you for using my doubts to teach me more about yourself. Amen.

We cannot trace God’s hand in every circumstance because God paints on a canvas much larger than our tiny vision.

Father, thank you for giving me a faith that is based on fact. Fill my heart with Easter joy, because I know that my Redeemer lives today. Amen.

“Your labor in the Lord is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58). If the Lord remembers our work, it does not matter who forgets it.

As long as you refuse to forgive, you’re better off not praying the Lord’s Prayer. Because unless you forgive, you will not be forgiven.

“O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life!” Katharine Lee Bates, 1895