Good Words for Today
We need the Spirit’s help to maintain unity and to live together in peace. Left to ourselves, we will argue about everything. We will never yield our right to be right without the Holy Spirit’s help.
No one knows what a day may bring. Who knows if we will make it through this week? It doesn't matter as long as we remember one thing: Our God is faithful to keep every one of his promises.
How should we pray for others? Seven words come to mind. We should pray Aggressively because nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Fervently because the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective (James 5:16). Unitedly because our faith grows stronger as we pray together (1 Thessalonians 5:11). Confidently knowing that we have a High Priest who invites us to come to the throne of grace where we can find grace and mercy in the time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Repeatedly because God invites us to ask, ask, and keep on asking (Matthew 7:7-8). Gratefully because we have already received “grace upon grace,” far more than we deserve (John 1:16). Submissively because God’s understanding of the total situation is much greater than ours (Matthew 6:10).
Be faithful today. Let God take care of tomorrow.
"People often tell me, 'Doctrine divides,' and I say, 'Yes, it divides truth from error.'" John MacArthur
If you think about praying, stop and pray. If you have an inner urge, stop and pray. If the Spirit gives you a nudge, stop and pray. Never ignore the urge to pray!
God has given us a weapon the unbeliever does not have—the weapon of prayer. It’s a weapon that can change the world. Instead of losing our temper, we should be on our knees praying for a Great Awakening in our own generation.
Do you want mercy or justice? If justice, you’ll have it and be sorry for it. If mercy, then you can have it, but just remember when you receive it, you don’t deserve it.
What is our hope in the face of death? Our hope lies in the fact that God’s grace reaches us while we are sinners, saves us as sinners, keeps us even when we fail, and when we die, that same grace takes us all the way to heaven.
“God’s time is not our time. His clock is not our clock. God runs on Eternity Standard Time.” Angel Martinez
“It is a miracle that you are saved, and it is a miracle that you are STILL saved!” H. B. Charles Jr.
Though none go with me, still I will follow; No turning back, no turning back.
What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
It is sometimes said that we should not doubt in the darkness what we learned in the light. It is equally true that we must not forget in the light what we learned in the darkness.
“He forgives all your sin”(Psalm 103:3). Never be ashamed to ask for forgiveness. You cannot out-sin the grace of God. All means all.
When Jesus returns, he will trample Satan under his feet, judge the workers of iniquity, set right the wrongs in the world, and reign from David’s throne in Jerusalem. That day has not yet come, but it will come, and indeed it is coming, and we believe the signs are all around us that the coming of Christ is not far away. But whether near or far, the kingdom Jesus will establish on the earth forms the goal of all human history. It is the last and greatest chapter in the “Battle of the Ages.” So let us wrap up this year with hope and expectation. Who knows? Jesus may come in 2023. Even so, Come, Lord Jesus!
Just because you are confused doesn't mean God is. He knows what he is doing. Trust him.
We often say “God is Good all the time.” Indeed he is. Now and then we may doubt God's goodness. But this much is sure. God is good whether we see it or whether we don’t. In the words of the Psalmist, God is good and his mercy endures forever!
God’s commands are not grievous. He never asks from us what he does not also supply for us. If we sin, we have only ourselves to blame. In the goodness of God, we truly have everything we need to live a life that pleases God.
Somewhere I read about a mountain climber who died during a steep ascent. To honor him, his friends put on his gravestone, “He died climbing.” That seems like an admirable goal for all of us. I don’t want to coast down the last few yards of the racetrack. I want to run through the tape, going as fast as I can. That’s not a statement about my schedule, but about my desire. I want to die climbing. That means growing in my knowledge of the Lord, growing in my dependence on the Spirit, growing in my love for others, growing in my commitment to the gospel, and growing in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If Christmas means anything, it is this: God wins in the end. At Bethlehem he launched a mighty counteroffensive that started with a tiny baby boy named Jesus, born in a scandalous way, in a barn, to a young couple who were alone. The world had no idea what God was up to. Only in retrospect do we understand. Evil will not win. The Babe of Bethlehem will make sure of that. "His kingdom will never end" (Luke 1:35).
"O holy Child of Bethlehem Descend to us, we pray Cast out our sin and enter in Be born in us today."
We believe something extraordinary about one particular baby, born in one particular place to a particular set of parents. That baby—and no other baby—was God in human flesh. What are the chances? When it comes to Christmas, we unashamedly confess that behind the carols and candy, behind the decorations and the parties, behind all the concerts and all the sermons, behind all of it lies an undeniable historical truth: that 2000 years ago God became man in the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We not only believe that. We have staked our lives upon it.
Joseph had to give up his own ideas about how things should be done. It’s the same with us. We have to let go of our ideas and let God work his plan. Then the miracles happen
How far is God willing to go? He left heaven to save you. He entered a virgin’s womb. He was laid in a feeding trough. How far is God willing to go? You can’t even imagine the answer to that question.
The world believes “God helps those who help themselves.” Christmas proves the opposite. He helps those who admit they can’t do it on their own.
Here is the good news of Christmas: God has done it all. God wrapped up his Son in swaddling clothes and said to the whole world, “This is my Christmas gift to you.”
What’s the First Rule of the Spiritual Life? He’s God and We’re Not. Until you get that, you are still in spiritual kindergarten.
I commend to all of you what Charles Jefferson called the “gospel of love.” It is sorely needed in these confused days. As the songwriter told us, “What the world needs now is love, sweet love. It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.” People are desperate for love, and they will do almost anything to know they are loved. Therein lies a great opportunity for any congregation. Let us love the people God sends us, and let us love the people who are not yet in the church. Let’s tell them the great gospel of God’s love. It’s the best news the world has ever heard.
When God sent his Son into the world, he didn’t send him to New York or Chicago or even to Rome. He sent him to a little village called Bethlehem. God loves to start small because then he can show his power in a mighty way. He also is the only one who gets the credit because most of us don’t want the credit for small beginnings. We’d rather start big and go from there. Not so with our Heavenly Father. He starts with the impossible and then turns it into reality.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer once remarked that the church is where all illusions are shattered. We see each other up close and personal so we see all there is to see. It’s not always a pretty sight. But that is okay too. Through our pain and tears, in good times and in bad times, as we laugh and play and pray together, in our singing and in our serving, we discover each other, and somehow we see Jesus.