Good Words for Today

"If you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus and say, 'He died for all.'" From the spiritual "There is a Balm in Gilead."  

“Father, make of me a crisis man. Bring those I contact to decision. Let me not be a milepost on a single road; make me a fork, that men must turn one way or another on facing Christ in me.” Jim Elliot

God can use grumpy people (Jonah!), but that's no excuse for being grumpy.

Don't get confused about your part in salvation: You provide the sin. Jesus provides everything else.

"Love difficult people. You’re one of them." Bob Goff

“I am so eager to preach the gospel to you who are at Rome” (Romans 1:15). He got there eventually, in chains, and was beheaded by Nero. True ministry doesn't operate only in safe places. It means serving Christ even if it costs you everything.

Lord Jesus, we pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering persecution for their faith in you. Help them to stand strong in these hard times. Give us courage to follow their example today. Amen.

I must be a student of all, from the youngest to the oldest, from the richest to the poorest, from the proud to the humble. In Christ, I teach every person and every person is my teacher. I have something to give to each person and each person has something to give to me.

If you love someone, you’ll pray for them. If you don’t love them, you’ll stop praying eventually. Because when you pray, one of two things will happen:  You will either start loving or you will stop praying.   

"He who is generous will be blessed" (Prov. 22:9). My friend Howard Harvey used to say, "I shovel it out, and God shovels it in. And God's got a bigger shovel than I do." No one will ever regret being generous. May God give us open hearts, open hands, and an open pocketbook.

Pray for your enemies that someday they may become your friends.

May the things that matter most to God become the things that matter most to us.

“Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God" (Romans 12:19 LB). "Seeking revenge turns us into perpetual victims. Revenge makes you go through the hurt over and over again. You never really get over it. Ultimately, it drags you down to the sewer where your enemies dwell. While you are staying up late at night stewing in your juices, they are out on a yacht on Lake Michigan, having a party. When you give in to the temptation to get even, your enemies have won twice: When they hurt you the first time and now when you can’t get it out of your mind. Let God take care of making things right. Do that and you will sleep better tonight."

We're on the right side of the empty tomb. Death can't defeat us now. Let that thought give strength to your heart today.

A certain man concocted a new religion but no one would follow him. A friend offered this advice: “Have yourself crucified and then rise from the dead on the third day.” Only Jesus has done that. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

"At the cross the work was finished You were buried in the ground But the grave could not contain You For You wear the Victor's crown."

"For nothing good have I Whereby Thy grace to claim— I’ll wash my garments white In the blood of Calv’ry’s Lamb."

Jesus washed Judas' feet, knowing that he would betray him. If Jesus would do that, you can love those who hate you. Perhaps washing their feet will change them. If not, washing their feet will certainly change us.

Judas heard all of Christ's sermons. He saw all of the miracles. He kept the money for the 12. And yet he betrayed Jesus. Lord Jesus, deliver us from the Judas spirit and replace it with true love for you. Amen.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for finishing what you came to do. We are going to heaven because you were not ashamed to die for us. Eternal praise to you, our Great Savior! Amen.

"All repentance recognizes my need for change. The deepest repentance recognizes my inability to change. I plead, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner' -- not, 'Give me another chance, and I'll do better.'" Davis Duggins

Little children  welcomed Jesus when he entered Jerusalem because they loved him and weren’t worried what others might think. May God give us Palm Sunday courage to take our stand with Jesus today. 

When God wants to do something big, he starts with something very small. When he wants to do the miraculous, he starts with the impossible.

"There are three stages in any great work attempted for God: Impossible, difficult, done.” J. Hudson Taylor

”Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! Oh, for grace to trust Him more!”

Never be ashamed to pray about small things. If it’s big enough to worry about, it’s big enough to pray about.

Sin must inevitably do one of two things to us. It either drives us to the cross or away from it. Sin is like cancer. Either kill it at the cross, or it will kill you. 

"God often confirms his will after we obey, not before." Mark Bailey

"Don't get your theology from the world." Michael Easley

Father, help me to make wise choices today so that a guilty conscience will not keep me awake tonight. Amen.

“If some lost, lonely person somewhere out there in a dirty bed, in a dark room, can see the light of Jesus Christ in me, then that is my reward.” Johnny Cash

"This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet.  This is my Father’s world: The battle is not done: Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one." From "This is My Father's World" by Maltbie Babcock, 1901

“Moses my servant is dead" (Joshua 1:2). God's workers die, but God's work goes on. Hello, Joshua!

"With Jesus I can take it With Him I know I can stand No matter what may come my way My life is in your hands." Kirk Franklin

Prayer doesn’t mean giving up. We pray because we can’t but God can.

"How to get ready to preach: 1. Think yourself empty. 2. Read yourself full. 3. Write yourself clear. 4. Pray yourself hot. 5. Turn yourself loose." H. B. Charles Jr.

There are many ways to go to hell. There is only one way to go to heaven. Make sure you find the right way. PS If you don't know the way, read John 14:6.

"God loves us too much to answer our prayers at any other time than the right time." Lysa TerKeurst

"When God puts his own people into the furnace, he keeps his eye on the clock and his hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much." Warren Wiersbe

"Well may the vile accuser roar Of sins that I have done; I know them well, and thousands more; My God, He knoweth none." Samuel Grandy, 1838