Good Words for Today
"Treat people the same way you want them to treat you" (Matthew 7:12). We like to say, "You go first, and I'll treat you the way you treat me." Jesus said, "Don't wait for the other person. You make the first move." When in doubt, be kind, & let God take care of the results.
You aren't good enough, and you never were. Will you admit that? Jesus is more than enough, and always will be. Will you believe that?
If you find yourself in the muck and mire of personal defeat, be encouraged. Child of God, he's not finished with you yet. Rise and walk, my Christian friend. God is not finished with you yet. It's time to get back in the game. God is not finished with you yet.
Impatience is a sign we don't believe God can handle our problems.
When trials have finished their work in us, we will not lack anything the Lord wants us to have. If we need faith, we will have it. If we need hope, we will have it. If we need love, we will have it. Nothing will be left out; nothing will be left behind.
Believe in God! Believe in his goodness. Believe in his love. Believe in his kindness. Faith is a choice made by the heart. If you want to believe, you will believe, and the angels of heaven will come to your aid.
God honors those who decide to keep believing in spite of their doubts.
"We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:9). In this world we may face disappointment, sorrow, rejection, failure, sickness, abandonment, and discouragement. Our children may disappoint us, our dearest friends may desert us, our spouse may leave us, and we may face an unremitting series of earthly tragedies. Illness, physical weakness, and death itself may visit our door time and again. Even then, we prosper, we thrive, we survive, we are not destroyed. Sometimes when I ask friends going through hard times how they are doing, the answer comes back, “I’m surviving.” Years ago I foolishly thought that was a wimpy response. Now I see that it is a powerful statement of faith in God. Sometimes surviving is the same as thriving. Some days to survive is our greatest victory.
"Silent Saturday" reminds us that God's ways and ours are not the same. Though Jesus' lies in the tomb today, he will not stay there very long. God has bigger plans for his Son.
The world still chooses Barabbas.
Be quick to repent when you need to repent. Be quick to forgive when you need to forgive. Or else you will drown in a sea of guilt and bitterness.
Our prodigals may run from us, but they can’t run from our prayers. Perhaps we need to say less and pray more.
Miracles happen when we pray. Never doubt that. If God's people pray, he will heal our land. Do it, O Lord!
If all our needs were met, we’d end up forgetting God just like the children of Israel did in the Old Testament. Earthly prosperity tends to be no friend of spiritual growth. And total prosperity generally means total disaster. God intends to bring us again and again to the place where we are crying out to the Lord, begging for his mercy and his grace. That’s not a fun place to be. But it’s where we need to be. Anything that drives us to our knees is good for the soul.
"Jesus knows all about our struggles, He will guide till the day is done; There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus, No, not one! No, not one!"
"Let not conscience make you linger, Not of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requireth Is to feel your need of Him."
We are God’s holy people. Every child of God is a saint. Saint Susan. Saint Sylvia. Saint Butch. Saint Jessie. Saint Sarah. Saint Knox. Saint Zoe. If you know Jesus, you're a saint. Live like it!
Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold. Don’t go along so you can get along. Don’t lower your standards for a laugh. Don’t trade holiness for popularity.