Good Words for Today
No one knows how to pray. Not really. If we were more like little children, we could pray better, but we are grown up, and so we struggle and wonder if we are doing it right. We worry that we say too much or we don't say it the right way or we forget the formula we were taught. But if we were more childlike, we would come to Jesus with our little bit of faith, and that would be enough. If the disciples of Jesus needed help, then so do we. Let us follow in their steps, and begin each day by saying, "Lord, teach us to pray."
Salvation is always personal. Come to Jesus. Believe in him. Trust in Him. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me.” This is not just a word for those without Jesus; it is a word for all of us who know him. He says to each of us, “Come to me. Come just as you are. Come and don’t delay. Don’t spend another moment drinking from polluted fountains. Come and I will give you living water.”
We know that Jesus died so that our sins might be forgiven. But there is an aspect of this truth that we often overlook. John the Baptist said of Jesus, “Behold, the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). One of the primary Hebrew words for forgiveness means to “lift and take away.” That’s forgiveness. God removes the burden of our sin, and then he takes it far, far away.
Is there any fear more fundamental than the fear of death? Perhaps every other fear is but a subset of that great fear. But Jesus has transformed death for those who follow him. What happens to us, happened first to him. What happened to him will one day happen to us. He entered death’s dark realm and not only subdued it. He conquered it once and for all. By his victory over death, he has sanctified it so that we no longer need to fear it. He went into the tomb and then he came out. Thus, we will not fear to go in, knowing that one day by God’s grace, we too will come out.
Because of the ascension, we may rest assured that the religion of Christ is true. God has accepted him, and because God accepted him, he will accept all those who trust in him. Because he is safe in heaven, we will someday be safe in heaven. We will be where he now is.
"Living, He loved me; dying, He saved me; Buried He carried my sins far away; Rising, He justified freely forever; One day He’s coming—O glorious day!"
We ought to face the future with optimism. The world looks at all the problems and says, “What is this world coming to?" Christians say, "Guess who's coming to the world? Jesus!" For those who know Him, there is enormous hope. If he comes today, we win. If he comes in 50 years, we win. If he comes in 1,000 years, we win. Keep your eyes on the skies. Jesus is coming again!
The same Jesus who ascended into heaven is coming again. That’s what we mean when we say that Jesus is coming again. The actual, historical figure that lived 2,000 years ago on the other side of the world is returning to the earth one more time. There awaits in the future an event more marvelous, more startling, more amazing, and more blessed than anything that has happened in the last 2,000 years. I speak of the literal, visible, bodily return of Christ to the earth. No event may seem less likely to modern men and women; no event is more certain in the light of inspired Scripture.
Thanks be to God for the empty tomb. As much as I marvel at the virgin birth of Jesus, as much as I wonder at the sinless life of Jesus, as much as I glory in the cross of Jesus, it is the resurrection of Jesus that makes Christianity unique among all of the world religions.
A friend told me, “I have learned I can trust Jesus even though he knows all about me.” Think about that for a moment. He knows you through and through. He knows where you were last night, what you did, and what you thought about doing. He knows all about every dumb thing you’ve said and done (and thought) in the last week—and he still loves you. That’s good news for imperfect people who stumble and struggle their way through life.
You don't need to know the big picture. Just take the next step. Let God take care of everything else.
"The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). Verse 9 reveals God’s tender heart toward the lost. He takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. For 2000 years, he has held back the final judgment in order to give rebellious men and women a chance to surrender their arms and yield allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Christianity is supremely the champion of purity. When Jesus comes in, he cleans house. We all think that’s good news until the Lord starts rearranging the furniture in our living room.
Every day Jesus tugs on our hearts, pulling us up toward heaven so that when we finally get there, we won’t feel like strangers. One day soon, the Lord will give us one final tug, and we’ll end up in heaven forever.
If everything in your life can be explained apart from God, what do you need God for? True conversion goes beyond religion—which is why religious people are often the last to be converted. Religious people trust in their religion—but their lives are never changed. They go to church and go through the motions, they may even pray the prayers and say all the right words, but they have a Sahara heart—hot, parched, barren, empty. When Jesus comes in, living waters flow out. And they keep on flowing.
A genuine believer in Christ is not self-centered. He says to himself, “I have been greatly blessed. I must pass these blessings along to others. I can’t keep them for myself.”
You will know you are converted when you come to Jesus and something happens to you that you cannot fully explain. True conversion is more than walking an aisle, saying a prayer, or raising a hand. True conversion means that Almighty God enters your life, in the deepest, most personal part, and takes up residence within. You can truly say, “I am converted,” when you know that God has done something for you that only God can do.
We come to Christ because we are thirsty, and until we see our need and cry out for help, we will never come at all. As Jesus said, only the sick need a physician. Only the hungry will be fed. Only the lost are found. Only the thirsty drink the living water.
How close are we to that great day when the trumpet will sound, the dead in Christ will rise, and we will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air? Perhaps very close. Certainly closer than we think.
What God gives me, I give away. If it’s money, it’s not mine anyway. If it’s my time, it all belongs to God anyway. If it’s something I own, I can give it away because I don’t own anything; God owns it all. If it’s a helping hand, I can do that because God reached down and helped me.
Apart from God’s grace, all of us are pathetic losers. There are no exceptions. But when pathetic losers band together to seek the Lord, the Red Sea parts, the walls come tumbling down, the enemy is routed, and the church rolls on for the glory of God.
The first step is coming to Jesus. It’s all very personal. Jesus said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me.” He doesn’t say, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to the church.” Or “let him come to the pastor.” Or “let him walk an aisle or sign a card.” Or even “let him learn Bible doctrine.” Jesus invites a thirsty world to come to him. Christianity is Christ. It’s not a religion; it’s a relationship.
Lord Jesus, so many of us have been sleepwalking through life, going through the motions, sowing to the flesh, frittering away our opportunities, and ignoring the needs around us. Teach us to count our days and then teach us to make our days count. Wake us up, Lord! Shake us up! Do whatever it takes to get our attention. Help us to get busy living for you. Amen.
Some people think Christians are nothing but a bunch of “do-gooders.” But I recall that in Acts 10:38 Peter summarized the ministry of Jesus by saying that “he went around doing good.” Being called a “do-gooder” is a nice compliment. The world would be a better place if we had more “do-gooders.” And I’d much rather be a “do-gooder” than a “do-badder.” For that matter, I’d rather be a “do-gooder” than a “do-nothing-at-all.”
Don’t complain that the world is dark. Light a candle instead. Is this not what Jesus meant when he said, “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven?” (Matthew 5:16). The good deeds we perform, when done in Jesus’ name, shine a light in the darkness and point others toward God.
No church ever died by giving too much, but many churches have died by giving too little. It is impossible to be over-generous in the work of the Lord. We ought to give and then give again and keep on giving. Why? Because when you give to God, you are sowing to the Spirit and from the Spirit you will reap a vast harvest.
Wisdom for today: Life is hard. Deal with it. People are jerks. Love them anyway. Things don’t go as we planned. Keep on moving forward. People forget to say, “Thank you.” Help them anyway. People are hardheaded. Share Christ with them anyway. Not all your prayers are answered. Keep praying! God doesn’t do what you think he should do? Trust him anyway! You may be scared and filled with fear. Keep believing! Your friends criticize you. Do right anyway! Do you feel like quitting? It’s always too soon to quit.
"Trust and obey for there’s no other way, To be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey."
Maybe we need a “back to the cross” movement today. We talk about the love of God, but apart from the cross the love of God is just an ethical concept. We can’t separate the love of God from the bloody cross of Calvary. Samuel Rutherford said, “Christ has no velvet crosses.” He wasn’t crucified on a velvet cross, and he doesn’t have a velvet cross for you and me either.
"Your arms are too short to box with God" (James Weldon Johnson). Here's something I just discovered. That sentence comes from a poem called "The Prodigal Son." More than a poem, it's a fervent appeal for all the prodigal sons and daughters to come home to God. Here is the closing stanza: "Young man, come away from Babylon That hell-border city of Babylon Leave the dancing and gambling of Babylon The wine and whisky of Babylon The hot-mouthed women of Babylon; Fall down on your knees And say in your heart: I will arise and go to my Father." There are prodigals in Babylon who would come home if they knew we would take them in. We can't bear the thought of going to heaven without them. So let's fall on our knees and get right with God ourselves, and then let's pray and pray and keep on praying until all of God's wayward children come home at last.
Before you condemn, confess your own sin. The world would be a better place if we cleared our own conscience before we start throwing stones.
No one becomes godly by accident. You can't sleep late and lounge around like a coach potato if you want to win the prize of a godly life.
We can't avoid being hurt, but we can choose not to be bitter about it.
Little things mean a lot. In the midst of the battle, giving a cup of cold water in Jesus' name may preserve a soldier's strength. Nothing is small if it is done for the Master.
God does not call us to courage or greatness. He calls us to faithfulness, and when we are faithful to our family, our church, and our God, we discover both courage and greatness.
"Come home, come home Ye who are weary come home Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling Calling, 'O sinner come home.'"
