Good Words for Today
Go and tell. That’s what Jesus said to do. Anyone can do that. Don’t let anyone tell you can’t do that. You don’t have to learn a lot of verses or memorize a complicated outline. You don’t have to be a good speaker or a winsome personality. You don’t have to get permission from anyone to tell your story. You don’t have to write a book or a sermon. You don’t need a big audience. You can start with one person. Go and tell what Jesus has done for you!
It's hard to throw stones when you're busy washing feet.
"Faith makes all things possible. Love makes them easy.” D. L. Moody
When God forgives our sin, he chooses to remember them no more. Our Father will never hold against us any sins covered by the blood of Christ. When God forgives, he forgets!
It's easy to get angry at people who sin differently than we do. But truth be told, we are all sinners in desperate need of the grace of God. If God could save us, he can save those whose sin angers us. A good dose of honesty about our own sin might make us less judgmental about others and more willing to pray fervently for their salvation.
When the devil comes and knocks at your door—and, my friends, he comes again and again and again—when he comes, send Jesus to answer in your place. The devil will flee, for he cannot enter where Jesus has already moved in.
The road to heaven always goes by way of the cross. If you skip the cross, you’ll end up missing heaven too. A. B. Bruce pointed out that “if crosses would leave us alone, we would leave them alone, too.” But the cross of Christ will never leave us alone. It stands at the center of our faith. Take the cross out of Christianity and you’ve taken Jesus out as well. We are called to follow Jesus, and that means denying ourselves, taking up our cross daily, and following him wherever he leads.
A guilty conscience is a great blessing if it leads you to repentance.
Lord of the cloud and fire, I am a pilgrim marching through the wilderness on my way to the Promised Land. When I am discouraged and want to go back to Egypt, keep my feet marching toward Canaan. Amen.
“One word of truth outweighs the world.” Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
May my heart be cheerful, my smile be genuine, and my words be kind today.
What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his own family? I’ve never heard a man on his deathbed say, “I wish I had spent more time in the office.” But many men say, “I wish I had spent more time with my family.” God help us to learn this while there is still time to make a difference.
Father, I bless You that I am not what I used to be, nor everything I want to be, and by your grace I am not yet all that I am going to be. Amen.
We live in an argumentative age. Social media tempts us to tangle with others over the slightest difference of opinion. You can win the argument and lose a friend. Is it worth it to you?
Forgiveness is not an optional part of the Christian life. It is a necessary part of what it means to be a Christian. If we are going to follow Jesus, we must forgive. We have no other choice. And we must forgive as God has forgiven us—freely, completely, graciously, totally. The miracle we have received is a miracle we pass on to others.
Defeat teaches you far more than you will ever learn from victory.
The proof of wisdom is our willingness to receive correction.
How we work is as crucial as how we pray. There is no greater testimony than the Christian mechanic at the bench, the Christian teacher in the classroom, the Christian secretary at the desk, the Christian nurse at the hospital, or the Christian accountant keeping the books. Our problem is that we don’t see our daily work as a way to worship God. But it is. What you do on Monday is as sacred as what you do on Sunday.
The Bible is God's Word. Read it! Believe it! Teach it!
When you pray for patience, part of the answer is waiting for the answer to come.
Every time you open your mouth, either life or death comes out (Proverbs 18:21). May the words of my mouth speak life and not death today!
“Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets" (Luke 5:5). The fish aren’t going to jump in the boat by themselves. There is still work for us to do. Many answers to prayer await only one thing: “Let down your nets.” Put your net down into the deep water, do your part, and then God will do his.
Someone needs your prayers today. Someone needs your encouragement today. Someone needs your wisdom today. Be ready to share when God opens the door.
"All death can do to the believer is deliver him to Jesus." John MacArthur
“Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ my God! All the vain things that charm me most, I sacrifice them to His blood.” Isaac Watts
God prepares us for his call by allowing us to endure personal failure. Until we sense our need of Jesus, we will not be ready to follow him. If you think you are self-sufficient, why would you need Christ? We must be stripped of our self-confidence before we can be greatly used of God.
Father, I praise you for grace so great that it goes beyond my sin, finds me when I have fallen, picks me up, and sets my feet back on the road to heaven. Amen.
Not every acquaintance should become a friend. Not every friend should become a close friend. Choose wisely. We become like the friends we choose.
When we encounter Jesus, we will never be the same again. No one can meet Jesus and walk away unchanged. We may end up closer to God or we may harden our hearts, but no one ever meets Jesus and stays the way they were before.
Jesus never excuses sin, but he shed his blood to forgive it.
“Don’t speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words” (Proverbs 23:9). Didn't Jesus say something about not throwing pearls before swine? Same thing here. Wisdom knows when to walk away from a useless argument.
If you could lose your salvation, you would. We are not saved by trying harder or even by being faithful. If Jesus is not enough for us, baking cookies for the homeless (a kind thing to do) will not get us to heaven. Let us do good to others because we love Jesus, not because we think doing good will guarantee our entrance into heaven. Nothing dies harder than human pride. Salvation is by grace, not by works.
O Lord, may I never doubt Your Word, but simply believe it, obey it, and build my life upon it. Amen.
Lord God, thank you for brothers and sisters who care about me. Help me to be a friend to my friends today. Amen.
To know Christ is our desire. To serve Christ is our privilege. To follow Christ is our goal. To preach Christ is our calling. To see Christ is our reward.
God already knows what you need before you pray. When you say, "Lord, "I'm out of a job," it isn't news to him. When you say, "Lord, I can't pay my bills," he checked your bank account before you did. He knows you are broke. That's a wonderful incentive to pray. He already knows the details of every problem in your life. So go ahead, tell him the whole story. He won't be surprised. And pray with confidence. He's waiting to hear from you.
“Cheer up, ye saints of God, there's nothing to worry about. Nothing to make you feel afraid, nothing to make you doubt. Remember, Jesus never fails, so why not trust him and shout, You'll be sorry you worried at all tomorrow morning.”