Good Words for Today
“Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Sweetest Name I know, Fills my ev’ry longing, Keeps me singing as I go.”
“O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer's praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace!“
Will anyone be glad to see you in heaven? Will anyone hug your neck and say, “Thanks for making sure I got here?"
Nothing dispels doubt like speaking up for Jesus. Pick up your sword, enter the arena, and your doubts will begin to disappear.
I believe the coming of the Lord must be near. Many Christians before me have said the same thing. I’m taking my stand with them. I’d rather expect Jesus to come in my lifetime and be wrong than to be so in love with the world that I’m not ready to see him when he comes.
“ I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10). God’s gold comes in many varieties, and money is generally the least important of his blessings.
“Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.”
Don't be afraid to give your money away. You can’t keep it anyway.
In the end we will discover that 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 his heaven, we will be with him in glory.
We aren’t going to be here forever. But what we do in this life echoes in eternity.
The tendency of every great nation is the same: To believe that we will always be a superpower, to slowly push God out of the picture, to take him out of public life, to forbid the mention of his name, to ridicule those who still believe in him, to promote those who ignore God, to chafe at the absolutes, to rewrite the rule book, and to live by our own set of rules. In the end God judges that nation and it is no longer great.
Judgment always begins in the house of God. If the handwriting is on the wall, we must read it first.
God is not surprised by anything that surprises us.
1. Why doesn’t God destroy me? “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed.” 2. How do I know God will keep on loving me? “For his compassions never fail.” 3. When will God give me what I need? “They are new every morning.” 4. What is my hope for the future? “Great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
If persistence wins over an unjust judge (Luke 18:1-8), think what it does with our Father in heaven who cares for us. Persistence works on earth. It works even more in heaven.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for the Word of Truth given to us many centuries ago. We have seen it fulfilled before our eyes, and we believe that what is not yet fulfilled will come to pass according to your good plan. Help us to see the Spirit of Antichrist that is already in the world. Strengthen our faith and make us bold for Jesus Christ. Give us a spirit of encouragement that comes from knowing that you are in control of all things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The temptation to quit, to despair, to give in to bitterness, to flee the struggle, to yield to lust, to give in to greed, to indulge ourselves, to walk in pride, these things either destroy us or they make us stronger. Prayer and Bible reading alone cannot make us godly. We need the struggles of life to make us strong.
Lord, when I feel like giving up, remind me of your promises. Keep my eyes facing forward today. Amen.
"I have learned the secret of contentment" (Philippians 4:12). Contentment is your current circumstance minus expectations.
If you need a miracle today, take heart. Jesus can do what others call impossible. He is the "above and beyond" Savior.
"Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt! Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured, There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled." Julia Johnston, "Grace Greater Than Our Sin," 1910.
Our only duty is to follow Jesus. Everything else is details.
If you cannot do great things for the Lord, do little things in his name. You will soon discover that little things become great things when they are done in Jesus’ name.
When you feel overwhelmed by the troubles of life, remember these three truths: Your struggles are necessary – fight on! Your Father has not forgotten you – hang on! Your future is assured – walk on! Fight on! Hang on! Walk on! That's the Good Word for today.
“For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). Do you ever worry that you might be asking too much from the Lord? It is not possible to do that.
Be kind. Everyone has a struggle you know nothing about.
When we ask God to make us like Jesus, we are really praying to be led to the Cross. There is no growth without pain and struggle, and no victory without dying to our selfish desires. In the end we will be filled with joy when we discover that our prayers were answered in an unexpected way.
Converted sinners make the best preachers because they know the truth of what they are saying. This is the heart of evangelism— telling others what Christ has done for us. Until we have personally experienced God's pardoning grace, the gospel is only a theoretical message to us.
A staff may not seem like much, but when you place it at God’s disposal, it can be part of a miracle. Everyone has “something” in their hands. Your “something” won’t necessarily be the same “something” your neighbor has. God has placed “something” in your hands. Use it for his glory!
Choose your friends wisely because you will become like your friends and your friends will become like you. The right friends make it easier for you to grow in the Lord, and the wrong friends make it much harder.
When I fear my faith will fail, Christ will hold me fast; When the tempter would prevail, He will hold me fast. I could never keep my hold Through life’s fearful path; For my love is often cold; He must hold me fast.
Here’s one thing you learn whenever you start to do anything for the Lord: It won’t be as easy as you think. Why should it be so? Couldn’t the Lord set it up another way? Yes, he could—and sometimes he does. But often God lets us struggle and sweat so that we learn to trust Him at a deeper level than ever before. Sooner or later we all end up facing a wall of impossibility. The bad news is that it really is impossible. The good news is that God loves to start with an impossibility.
Slow me down, Lord, so I can hear your still, small voice again. Amen.
"A greedy man brings trouble to his family, but he who hates bribes will live" (Proverbs 15:27). No shortcuts! That’s the message for today, Bribery is a fast train to destruction. Stay away from it. Don’t take bribes. Don’t offer bribes. Play by the rules. And let God take care of the results.
When God calls you, it will work out one way or the other. All your little “what ifs” are just so much wasted time. And that really is the issue, isn’t it? If you need a miracle, you’ll get one. If you need an answer to prayer, it’s on the way. You'll get whatever you need as long as you obey God.
May the joy of the Lord be my strength so that I may have a merry heart no matter what happens today. Amen.
Our missionaries are on the field because they didn’t try to “what if” God. They didn’t make any deals. They didn’t demand any assurances in advance. God called and they obeyed. And the miracles followed after them. Where does that leave us? We gaze silently, baffled and amazed by those who have chosen the path of obedience. They have blazed a trail for us to follow. Will we obey, or will we stall for time, making silly excuses while the world burns and God waits for his sleeping children to wake up?
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.
“I AM” has sent me to you” (Ex. 3:14). That simple phrase contains the essential truth about who God is. He is the personal, eternal, self-existent God of the universe. He always was, he always is, he always will be. He is above all things, beneath all things, behind all things, and in front of all things. By him all things hold together. In him all things have their being. Without him, the universe does not exist. He's big enough for whatever problems you face today.
"Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say It is well, it is well, with my soul."