Good Words for Today

“But the Lord sent a strong wind on the sea, and the storm was so violent that the ship was in danger of breaking up” (Jonah‬ ‭1:4‬). Though the voyage into sin may start with a celebration, it always ends with a raging storm. God makes sure of that.

There are miracles all around us if only we had eyes to see them. Our problem is that we look for outward, spectacular results when God’s work—like the tiny mustard seed—begins in a hidden place, inside the human heart. I know of no greater miracle than the transformation of a sinner into a saint by the grace of God.

Sometimes God’s no is the surest sign of his love for us.

‌“I send you forth as sheep among wolves” (Matthew 10:16). If Jesus goes with us, we’re safer among the wolves than if we stayed in the pen.

Father, I pray for grace to smile more than I frown. Put someone in my path who needs a good word from me today. Amen.

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Note that Jesus doesn’t say, “I have overcome your trouble,” but rather, “I have overcome the world.” Our Lord is telling us, “Don’t worry. I’ve got this.”

You will never regret serving the Lord.

Jesus doesn’t invite us to a church or a meeting or an online seminar. He invites us to come to him. If you feel tired and frustrated and overwhelmed right now, here is some good news. Jesus wants you to come to him. When you do, he will give you rest.

Lord, help me to pick my fights wisely so that I won't be embroiled in arguments all day long. Amen.

"Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears" (Proverbs 26:17). Ignore this at your own risk. Sometimes it's better not to get involved. Leave that dog alone!

Deep doubt is often the prelude to an even deeper faith. I love the way Frederick Buechner expresses it: “Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving” (from the book Wishful Thinking). The greatest doubters often become the strongest believers. Honest doubts — once resolved — often become the bedrock of an unshakeable faith. No truth is so strongly believed as that which you once doubted.

Many times we view prayer as the last resort when it ought to be the first resort. Prayer sometimes seems futile because we think we need to “do something.” Praying is fine, but how about if we bake a cake? Well, that’s fine too. But don’t fall into the trap of separating life into the “spiritual” and the “practical,” as if baking a cake is “real help” while prayer is just something spiritual we do when we can’t do anything else. Very nearly the opposite is true. Through prayer we unleash the power of heaven for the problems we face on earth. We ought to pray more, not less, in times of trouble.

Lord God, teach me to trust you while I trek through the wilderness. Thank you for providing for me even when I doubt that you will. Amen.

No one who has the slightest desire for a new life is ever beyond the grace of God.

Philippians 3 ends with a ringing declaration that one day God is going to “re-schematic” our earthly bodies. They will be raised from the dead and “re-engineered” to be like his glorious body. In the words of one commentator, we will be “raised and beautified.” I like the sound of that. I want to be raised, and I definitely need to be beautified.

An astounding miracle lies at the heart of our faith. We believe something incredible—that a man who was dead came back to life on the third day. We believe God raised him from the dead. Now if God would do that for his Son, indeed if God has the power to raise the dead, who are we to question God’s power to change the hardest hearts? After all, if you go to the cemetery and stay there waiting for a resurrection, you’ll wait a long time. You will see plenty of funerals but no resurrections. What are the chances that a man who had been tortured and then crucified and then buried in a tomb would be raised from the dead? The odds would seem to be against it. You can’t start with what your eyes see or what you can figure out. You can’t trust your feelings because your emotions can play tricks on you. We must therefore start with God who can raise the dead, not with the person who is spiritually dead. If it is God alone who can raise the dead, then our focus must be on God alone.

When you take your burdens to the Lord, he replaces your worries with something much greater: the peace that passes all human understanding. When you pray, God’s peace becomes a guard on your heart, protecting you from the cares of the world that could otherwise destroy you.

I am to be filled with the Spirit—but I am not to be filled alone. When the Holy Spirit fills us individually, our corporate life will be transformed. We need the filling of the Spirit not simply for ourselves but for the reformation and revival of local churches everywhere.

As we think about our prodigals, we should cry out to God and say, “O Lord, open the eyes of their heart. Help them to see the light of truth.” That prayer is so simple and yet so profound. Only God can open the eyes of the heart. When that happens, they will see the truth and light from heaven will come flooding in. Opening blind eyes is the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. He alone can do it, but he can do it, and this is the source of our hope.

Make your plans, but leave room for God. Remember Proverbs 16:9, “We make our own plans, but the LORD decides where we will go” (CEV). God always gets the last word.

Worry and prayer are opposites—like water and fire. You can worry or you can pray, but you can’t do both at the same time.

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

In this hour of moral crisis, God has opened a huge door for gospel proclamation. When the foundations of society are destroyed, we can say to men and women everywhere, “Christ is the firm foundation, the cornerstone that will never be shaken.”

Our friends watch to see how we will respond to tragedy. They want to know if what we say we believe is enough for us in the hard times. And further in the distance, others watch what we go through. Many of them are unbelievers who wonder if Christ is real. They don’t know, they aren’t sure, maybe they’ve read the Bible, maybe they haven’t, but they’re watching how we respond to mistreatment, malicious accusations, sickness, the loss of a job, the end of our marriage, a career setback, a financial collapse, and from the shadows they watch us to see if what we have is real or not.

"For my pardon, this I see, Nothing but the blood of Jesus; For my cleansing this my plea, Nothing but the blood of Jesus."

Hard times come to teach us not to trust in ourselves, but only in the Lord who raises the dead. Most of us are adept at handling the “moderate” problems of life. We can deal with cranky children or a prickly boss or a bad case of the flu or a pile of work that gets dumped on our desk. We understand normal pressures, and we learn how to deal with them. But sometimes things happen that strip the gears of life and force us to our knees and sometimes all the way down so we are flat on the ground. At that point, when all human options are foreclosed, our only hope is the Lord. We cry out to God in desperation, knowing that if he doesn’t help us, we’re sunk. That’s a lesson we must learn over and over again.

Lord, grant me tenacious, winsome courage as I go through this day. 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.

General Robert E. Lee was once asked his opinion of a fellow officer who was widely known as one of Lee’s greatest detractors. The general responded that he thought the man a very fine officer. “But General,” his questioner replied, quite perplexed, “I guess you don’t know what he’s been saying about you.” “Oh, yes I do,” replied Lee. “But I was asked my opinion of him, not his opinion of me.”

We are like ants crawling across a painting by Rembrandt. We crawl across the dark brown and think all of life is dark brown. Then we hit green and think, "Oh, this is better. Now all is green." But soon comes the dark blue and then a splash of yellow, a streak of red, and then another patch of brown. On we journey, from one color to another, never realizing that God is painting a masterpiece in our lives using all the colors of the palette. One day we will learn that every color had its place and nothing was wasted or out of place.

Doubt your doubts, not your faith. This simply means you should not cast away your faith because you are in the deep valley of darkness. All of us walk into that valley from time to time. Some of us spend a great deal of time there. When you find yourself in that valley where all is uncertain and you are sorely tempted to give in to your doubts, fears and worries, remember these two words: keep walking. You may be in a valley of doubt today, but you don’t have to stop and build a condo there. The only way out is to keep on walking. Every step forward is a way to “doubt your doubts.” Soon enough the light will shine again.

One part of loving our enemies is greeting them graciously when we see them. Sometimes instead of turning the other cheek, we turn away so we won’t have to say hello to someone who hurt us. Some of us have been quite adept at looking the other way, ducking into a room, crossing the street, or even using Caller ID to keep from greeting people we don’t like. But if we only greet our friends, what benefit is that? Do not even sinners greet each other? One part of loving your enemies is to greet them instead of avoiding them. Smile, shake hands, and say hello to your enemies. It’s a good first step.

The world says, “Get even.” God says, “Seek the good of those who have harmed you.” The world says, “Get angry.” God says, “Pray for them.” The world says, “Don’t waste time loving bad people.” God says, “Love them anyway.”

Many of us have hardened places in our lives that will not become tender until we go through the fires of affliction. God lets that happen so we are equipped to reach out to others and comfort them.

When the Bible tells us to "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18), it means that the power for living the Christian life comes from God and not from us. God wants to fill us with His Spirit! You will be filled when your need becomes your great desire. Over and over again. Every time.

Don’t let your doubts keep you from Jesus. Come to him just as you are—and bring your doubts with you. He never turns an honest doubter away.

You can hate your enemies, or you can pray for them. But you can’t do both at the same time.

When faced with someone who has mistreated you, ask God to do for them what you want God to do for you. Seek the same blessing for them that you seek for yourself. Think of it this way: The greater the hurt, the greater the potential blessing that will come when we forgive from the heart and by God’s grace bless those who curse us.

My Father, all your ways are right. When I am tempted to do wrong, remind me of the joy that comes from following your plan. Amen.

Joy is the deep satisfaction that comes from knowing God is in control, even when my circumstances seem out of control.