Good Words for Today

True repentance always involves coming clean, and coming clean means owning up to the whole pattern of wrongdoing, not just to the thing you happened to get caught doing.

Only a gift of infinite value could turn away the infinite wrath of God. And only God himself could make such an infinite gift. To call the death of Christ a ʺpropitiationʺ means that Godʹs wounded heart is now satisfied with the death of his Son. When we come to God through Christ, we come to a friendly Father and not to an angry God.

Lord Jesus, you are a wonderful Savior. May I never delay when you call me to take another step toward the light. Amen.

I heard about a pastor who prays, "Lord, please bless this person whom I foolishly regard as my enemy." That's a good prayer because it is both honest and biblical. We can't always be friends with everyone, but we can always pray for God to bless our enemies. That's the first step to turning enemies into friends.

Lord, give me the grace to appreciate the praise I receive and to give You glory for any good thing I accomplish, for without You I can do nothing. Amen.

On Friday, it appeared that Satan had won the battle. On Sunday morning, the true Victor walked out of the tomb, alive from the dead.

If God will judge your friends, why should you get involved? He knows them better than you do, he loves them more than you do, and he reads the thoughts and intents of the heart, which you can’t read at all. If we all spent more time worrying about ourselves, we’d have very little time left to worry about other people.

Lord Jesus, you are the Friend of sinners. We are so glad because you are the Friend and we are the sinners. Give us grace to come just as we are, and courage to take the first step. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

"Every joy or trial falleth from above, Traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love; We may trust Him fully, all for us to do; They who trust Him wholly find Him wholly true."

I’ve got some good news. The lights are on in the Father’s house, and the door is always open. The Father stands waiting for his prodigal sons and daughters to come back home. And he doesn’t say, “Clean yourself up first.” He just says, “Come on home. We can’t wait to see you again.”

The most beautiful Christians I know are those who have been through suffering and come through it with their faith in God intact. They have discovered that Jesus is enough, even in the worst moments. Their faces may be lined with care, but the beauty of Christ is in their eyes, and their voices testify to God’s amazing grace.

Nineveh was a place where no reasonable God would go. But being reasonable has nothing to do with it. Our God has a heart bigger than all our “reasonable” calculations. He loves the city and his heart goes out to those who want nothing to do with him.

In this life there are many roads a person may travel, but only one leads to heaven. The road to heaven starts at Calvary. Just keep walking in the blood‐stained path of the crucified Savior and that road will take you safely home at last.

Lord Jesus, in these momentous days, when the world shakes beneath our feet, help us to be people of the Word, delighting in what you have given us. Amen.

“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.