Good Words for Today
If you're looking for a Savior, follow the one who rose from the dead.
"I believe in the eternal security of the believer and in the eternal insecurity of the make-believer." J. Vernon McGee
Lord, help me to worship you with a whole heart today. Amen.
When we say, "God, I’m afraid of the future,” the Lord replies, “Afraid of the future? My child, I invented the future!”
"O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life!" "America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!" Katharine Lee Bates, 1895
"Your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (1 Corinthians 15:58). If the Lord remembers our work, it does not matter who forgets it.
"Some golden daybreak Jesus will come Some golden daybreak, battles all won He’ll shout the victory, break through the blue Some golden daybreak, for me, for you."
Just a reminder: You aren't the Savior of the world. That position has been filled.
"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us" (1 John 2:19). We cannot share Christian fellowship with everyone. True Christian unity requires letting some people go. We will never stop loving them, but if we love Jesus, we must let them go.
Lord, grant that in 100 years our great-great-great grandchildren will rise up and give thanks for our godly example. May the coming generations walk in your path because we have followed your way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Robert Morrison was the first Protestant missionary to China. A man asked him, “What do you think you’re going to do? Convert China?” “No,” came the quiet reply. “I don’t think I’ll ever convert China. I think God will.” That's the faith that changes the world for Christ.
"We may trust Him fully All for us to do; They who trust Him wholly Find Him wholly true."
God's work, Done God's way, In God's time, Will always have God's reward.
Three Life Lessons from Joshua 3 1) Waiting increases our dependence on God. 2) God brings us to places of despair so that we will realize our own inability. 3) Until we yield ourselves to God, we are not ready for the miracle we need.
"Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains, you can not tunnel through? God specializes in things thought impossible He can do what no other can do."
Babylon looks good in all its glory. Babylon always looks good . . . until it is no more.
"When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord!" (1 Samuel 5:3). That's the problem with idols. They keep falling over when you need them most.
Lord Jesus, forgive us for our callous indifference to the hurting people we see every day. Make us burden-bearers who are not ashamed to help those who struggle under a heavy load. Amen.
We all need Jesus and we need him more than we know. Without him we are truly lost in this life and in the life to come.
There are godly mothers and grandmothers who have prayed their children all the way to Jesus. Some of them are praying their children and grandchildren to Jesus at this very moment but the kids haven’t found out about it yet. Thank God for women of faith. Their prayers have changed the world.
"The fear that held us now gives way To him who is our peace. His final breath upon the cross Is now alive in me."
Father, I thank you that your grace is far greater than my sin. Help me to remember that because I am sure to need your grace before this day is done. Amen.
My friend Mike Dawson talks about "AA" days. That means "Amen Anyway." We all go through rough times when the struggle is real. No matter what's happening in your life, God is good all the time. Let's make this an "AA"day and say, "Amen Anyway!"
Be quick to repent today. There's less mess that way.
Plan for today: 1. Love God 2. Love people Everything else is details.
Jesus loved the rich young ruler enough to let him walk away. Do we have the same kind of courage? Love lets them walk away, and love keeps on loving anyway.
"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.