Good Words for Today
"Where sin increased, grace multiplied even more" (Romans 5:20). You're worse than you think, but God's grace is far greater than you dream. You can't out-sin the grace of God. That's why the gospel is called Good News.
"You called my name And I ran out of that grave Out of the darkness Into Your glorious day."
"Faithfulness to Christ always arouses opposition." S. D. Gordon
"If this world is ever to be taken for God, it will not be by groans, but by hallelujahs." De Witt Talmage
There are no interruptions in life. There are merely divine appointments God didn't tell you about in advance.
We slight the near in favor of the far, shirking the duties of today because we are dreaming about tomorrow. Until we have done what God has called us to do today, we will never be prepared for what he wants us to do tomorrow.
Weak faith resting on a strong object is always better than strong faith resting on nothing at all. And who could be stronger than Jesus Christ himself?
Comfort is the enemy of all spiritual growth. If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out of the boat.
"Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet" (John 13:14). Feet stink. That’s why they need washing. It’s not always fun, but you can wash feet if you don’t mind being a servant instead of a big shot.
God has ordained that our spiritual progress should be measured not by huge battles won or lost but by a thousand daily skirmishes no one else knows about.
We look at our loved ones dying and wonder if the resurrection can be true. But that’s backwards. God says, “Look what I did for my Son. Will I do any less for those who put their trust in him?”
God’s character is not on trial in your suffering.
"I have fought the good fight" (2 Timothy 4:7). You will never outgrow warfare. You must simply learn to fight.
“I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” Charles Spurgeon
Lord Jesus, when we are tired, you meet us as a friend, not as a judge. When we have sinned, we discover that you are a forgiving Savior. When we feel like giving up, you give us strength to keep going. Thank you for being what we need, when we need it, in every situation. Amen.
"If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has." E.M.Bounds
If Jesus paid it all, you don’t have to. If you try to pay for your salvation, it means you don’t think he paid it all. There is no middle ground between those two propositions. God is not trying to sell you salvation. He doesn’t offer salvation at half-price. And you can’t split the cost with him or pay for your sins on the installment plan. God is offering you salvation free of charge.
“They cried to the Lord for help" (1 Samuel 12:8). The first step to changing your life is admitting that things really do need to change.
God is giving us an unshakable kingdom. It’s ours. Guaranteed. Therefore, we can afford to share the things of this world with others. It can’t last much longer anyway.
"Following Jesus seemed easy enough at first, but that was because they had not followed him very far." Robert Coleman
When we feel that God has simply hammered us in to the ground, we later discover that nothing was done in anger, nothing in haste, but everything was done according to his plan so that in the end, we might be beautiful, like Jesus Himself.
“Nothing would be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it.” John Henry Newman
"Like the woman at the well, I was seeking For things that could not satisfy. And then I heard my Savior speaking— 'Draw from My well that never shall run dry.'” "Fill my cup, Lord; I lift it up Lord; Come and quench this thirsting of my soul. Bread of Heaven, feed me till I want no more. Fill my cup, fill it up and make me whole." Richard Blanchard
"I have stored up your word in my heart" (Psalm 119:11). It's good to get into the Word. It's better to let the Word get into you.
"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you" (Matthew 5:44). If we don't pray for our enemies, who will? If we don't pray for our enemies, how will they ever change? If we don't pray for our enemies, how will we ever be free from bitterness?
In 2010 Billy Graham wrote these words in his book Storm Warning. It came true for him yesterday morning when he passed from earth to heaven. "How I long to join the throngs of people as Jesus holds out His pierced hands to welcome us home; To thank the Father for the sacrifice of His Son; To bow at the Savior's nail-scarred feet; To sing around the throne of God; To sit at the Bridegroom's bountiful table; To feast on the Bread of Life; To praise the Lamb in all His glory; To walk with the Master along the river of life and drink of the water that will never run dry; To look into the face of the Holy One who died for me--and worship Him."
A note to Christian leaders: Marriage matters to God, and it ought to matter to you. When leaders keep their vows, it becomes easier for followers to keep their promises.
"Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" (John 6:5) The first step in any miracle is realizing you can't do it on your own. Only when we admit that we can't does Jesus step forward to do what only Jesus can do.
For God so loved the world That he sent us into the world With the only message that can save the world.
"Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way! Wounded and weary, help me, I pray! Power, all power, surely is Thine! Touch me and heal me, Savior divine."
"Don’t speak to a fool, for he will despise the insight of your words" (Proverbs 23:9). Remember this the next time you're tempted to get into an argument on Facebook or Twitter.
"All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all!"
"Trials dark on every hand, and we cannot understand All the ways that God could lead us to that blessèd promised land; But He guides us with His eye, and we’ll follow till we die, For we’ll understand it better by and by." "By and by, when the morning comes, When the saints of God are gathered home, We’ll tell the story how we’ve overcome, For we’ll understand it better by and by." Charles A. Tindley, 1905
"The dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). "Jesus knows where all the bodies are buried." Jared Wilson
"The riches of his grace" (Ephesians 2:7). He takes the dead and raises them. He takes the enslaved and frees them. He takes the guilty and forgives them. He takes the lost and saves them. He turns his enemies into his friends. He takes the broken and restores them. He takes the lonely and adopts them. He takes the fallen and gives them new life. Grace is God’s total answer to the moral ruin of the human race. It is such a complete answer that nothing else could ever be added to it.
Whatever you have to do this week, God will equip you to do it. No matter how hard the road ahead, God has already started mending your nets and arming you for battle. He never calls you to any hard task without giving you what you need to get the job done.
Christian worship is more than choir practice for heaven. It's basic training for the war whose outcome has already been determined by King Jesus.
"The heart is more deceitful than anything else" (Jeremiah 17:9). Apart from grace, your heart is a beautiful liar.
The universe is not a democracy. Truth is not determined by majority vote.
“The true test of a man of God is how he treats people who cannot help him.” Adrian Rogers