Good Words for Today

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

Thank You, Father, for fully equipping me to face life. Show me the mighty resources that are mine through your Holy Spirit. Amen.

God continually pours out the Holy Spirit on his children, ensuring that the new life will never grow old. This thought ought to be a great comfort to every struggling Christian. God wants us to have all the resources we need for the problems we face. That’s why he poured out his Spirit—not a little trickle, but a mighty ocean from heaven.

Mind-blowing truth: God knows you inside and out, and he loves you anyway.

Lord Jesus, help me to discern the difference between honest concern and sinful worry. Show me how to cast my cares upon you lest I collapse under the weight of my own problems. Amen.

The only way to be delivered from a spirit of revenge is to be so filled with God that a desire for revenge finds no place in your heart.

Lord Jesus, you promised to return. Today wouldn't be too soon. If not today, then tomorrow. Help me to live so that I won’t be surprised or ashamed when that glad day finally arrives. Amen.

God's holiness demands that sin be punished. Godʹs grace provides the sacrifice. What God demands, he supplies. Salvation is a work of God from first to last. It is conceived by God, provided by God, and applied by God.

Holy Spirit, thank you for faithful pastors and Bible teachers. Fill them with power as they preach and teach. Give me ears to hear what you are saying and a willing heart to respond in obedience. Amen.

Jesus died in accordance with Godʹs plan, at precisely the right moment, in exactly the right way, accomplishing all that the Father intended from before the foundation of the world.

“Never pass up an opportunity to keep your mouth shut.” Elisabeth Elliot

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed” (Romans 4:18). This is always where faith meets the acid test. Are you willing to believe God even when the outward circumstances argue against it? Abraham had no one to encourage him. No one except God. Where is God stretching your faith right now? Where would it be easier for you to doubt God than to believe in Him? As you think about those questions, ponder the story of Abraham and Sarah. God put it in the Bible for at least two reasons: 1. So that we will know that God always keeps his promises. 2. So that we will never stop believing, even though we have to wait a long time for God to answer our prayers. Keep hope alive. You never know what God will do.

"The dying thief rejoiced to see   That fountain in his day; And there may I, though vile as he,   Wash all my sins away."

“Be patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). The word means to be long-tempered. It has the idea of being tough and durable under pressure. Be slow to anger, slow to give up. Don’t lose your patience as you help others. We must not give way to exasperation. Sometimes I hear people say, “I lost my temper.” I want to reply, “You didn’t lose it, you found it!” Some of us need to lose our temper and never find it again.

Holy Father, thank you for entrusting me with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. May I be faithful to share it with others who will keep on believing it long after I am gone. Amen.