Good Words for Today

When you are discouraged, remember God’s faithfulness. Quote the great promises. Remember how God has answered your prayers. Reflect on his mighty deeds. Consider who it is who fights for you. Then pick up five smooth stones and get ready to defeat the giant.

Now that Jesus has died, no other sacrifice is necessary. None will be accepted. None is possible. It’s Jesus only and only Jesus. Without his death, there is no forgiveness, no salvation, and no hope of heaven.

Isaiah 55:7 contains a wonderful invitation to those who feel their sin is too great to be forgiven: “Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil man his thoughts. Let him turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” The King James translates the last phrase as "he will abundantly pardon." I like that because that’s precisely what I need. When I stray, when I fall, when I make a mess of my life, I need a God who will “abundantly” pardon me. With God there is always the possibility of a new beginning.  

Do not doubt in the darkness what God has shown you in the light. Wait on the Lord. And while you wait, obey as much as you know. When the time comes, God will speak to you again. You can’t rush God. In his time, you will hear his voice once again. Until that day comes, stay faithful. Do your duty. There is no reason to stay in bed and mope. Get up and do what must be done.      

Nowhere does God say, “I will never send a storm again.” Nowhere does God promise that life will be free of trials, troubles, and difficulties. Most rainbows appear only after the storm has come and gone. If there were no storms, there would be very few rainbows.

What does it mean to believe in Jesus? I like how Lewis Sperry Chafer put it: Believing in Jesus means trusting him so much that if he can’t take me to heaven, I’m not going to go there. I like that because I don’t have a Plan B when it comes to salvation. Jesus is my Plan A, and he’s all I need.  

All my days were written in God’s book before one of them came to be (Psalm 139:16). That means a Christian is immortal until his work on earth is done.  

Impatience is easy because you’re giving in to your emotions. You're rude or mean, or you throw a fit, or you tell someone off because it makes you feel better. It takes no courage to be impatient. It’s a sign of spiritual cowardice. Telling someone off is taking the easy way out. It takes courage to wait on the Lord. That leads me to a simple question: Are you willing to wait for God? Until the answer is yes, you aren’t ready to fulfill God’s plan for your life.  

Don’t pin your hopes on the world system. It’s going to crumble and fall. If you live for this world, you will end up with nothing but dust. If you have some money, invest it for God. If you have some time, spend it with the hurting. If you have some good news, share it with the lost. God is giving us an unshakeable kingdom. It’s ours. Guaranteed. Don't waste your one and only life. This dying world can never match what God has promised to his children.                                                  

Oh, precious is the flow, That makes me white as snow. No other fount I know, Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Jesus came because we made such a mess of things. God said, “I will not leave you alone. I will not let you destroy yourself, each other, and the world I have made. I love you too much to leave you alone.” After we had trashed everything, God said, “I’m coming down there so you’ll know once and for all how much I love you.” We didn’t pay any attention; it didn’t even make sense to us. How could God visit us? But he did—and he came to the world in a very strange way. He entered a virgin’s womb and came out as a baby, born in Bethlehem, a baby named Jesus, born to save us from our sins.

Lord Jesus, when we are provoked today–as we surely will be!–may we be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Amen.

Perhaps we should add a verse to Hebrews 11: "By faith, Noah built the ark; by faith, Noah entered the Ark; by faith, Noah left the ark." Which was harder? To enter the ark or to leave it? Both can be very difficult. Some of us are stuck because we know it’s time to move forward, but we are afraid to take the first step. God bless Noah, who knew when to get on the big boat and when to get off!  

Don't despair when you feel like your service for Christ doesn't matter. Remember Elijah and the 7000. You aren't in a good position to judge your own effectiveness. If you think you hit a home run, better let the Lord make the call. If you think you just struck out, leave that call with him also. In heaven we’ll discover that our Christian testimony touched people we didn’t even know about.              

Jesus did not come to add to our condemnation. He came because we were “condemned already” (see John 3:18). He came to offer us life instead of death, hope instead of despair, and light instead of darkness. He says, “All who are weary, come to me, and I will give you rest.” Horatius Bonar wrote these words in 1846: I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Come unto Me and rest; Lay down, thou weary one, lay down Thy head upon My breast.” I came to Jesus as I was, Weary and worn and sad; I found in Him a resting place, And He has made me glad.  

So many people live in defeat because they can’t climb the steep mountain before them. Just remember this: You don’t have to climb the mountain. You just have to take the next step with God. He’ll take care of the rest.

God invites the whole world to be saved. That’s the Good News of the gospel. But the invitation has a condition. Salvation is only through Christ. You cannot rewrite the invitation to read “through good works” or “through being nice” or “through being religious” or even “through church attendance.” God offers salvation through Christ and only through Christ.      

In the midst of judgment, God always remembers mercy. He remembers those who suffer, and he keeps his eyes on them. Though they suffer long and often feel forgotten, the Almighty will not abandon them. There is no trial that can separate us from the God who loves us.      

God often delays his mercies in order that we should properly thank him when they finally appear.

Spirit of God, I pray for the gift of sanctified brevity. Amen.                

Jesus has done everything necessary for your sins to be forgiven. If his death is not enough for you, there isn’t a Plan B. No, it doesn’t work that way. If Jesus isn’t enough for you, God has nothing else to offer. If you refuse to come to Christ as Lord and Savior, then the door of heaven will remain shut to you.

Jesus stands at the end of life’s road for all of us. There can be no middle ground. To ignore him is the same as to hate him because you end up without him either way. But no one can ignore him forever. We all have an appointment with Christ sooner or later.

There are plenty of grumpy people in the world. We have to deal with them, but we don’t have to spend all day with them. Find the grateful folks and hang out with them.

Pick your friends wisely. Some people bring you closer to the Lord, and some drag you farther away. Make sure you know the difference.      

All-knowing Father, I trust in you even when I do not understand. Thank you for loving me enough to sometimes say no to my prayers. Amen.

Bitter tears over our stupid mistakes do not substitute for the broken heart that leads to repentance.  

Don't get angry at your critics. You're much worse than they know.

Here’s a good plan for today: Be Quick to Believe. Be Quick to Repent. Be Quick to Forgive. The world would be a better place if we were quick to do all three.                    

Keep hope alive. You never know what God will do.