Good Words for Today

"The cross is less insulted by its declared enemies than by its pretended friends." Calvin Miller

Death is a trade-in. One day we will trade in our broken down bodies for a new body designed by God.

"Evangelicals have confused Christ's command to love others with being likable, as if that were an attribute of God. (It isn't.)" Larry Alex Taunton

The only thing more painful than repenting of our sin is the pain of not repenting. Repentance stings because it uncovers our sin. But once exposed to the light of God, our sin can be forgiven and we can be healed. If we refuse to repent, we suffer the inner torture of a guilty conscience. That's a pain in the soul that will not go away. No wonder David said, "Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!" (Psalm 32:1 NLT). If you will repent of your sin, you can have the joy of forgiveness.

If the new crime is to be a Christian, let us all be criminals.

"You can be right theologically, but a heretic in how you treat people." Caleb Kaltenbach

O Lord, teach me the joy of the yielded life. Bring me to the place where you alone are my greatest treasure. Amen.

"When we don't wait on God, we will always wish that we had." Erwin Lutzer

My Father, help me to love the unlovely just as you have loved me. Amen.

"Every Christian should be both conservative and radical; conservative in preserving the faith and radical in applying it." John Stott

You can criticize your enemies, or you can pray for them. But you can’t do both at the same time.

We engage in spiritual warfare when we come together to worship God. It's our way of saying to the world, "You will not have the last word," and to the devil, "You will not win because you've already lost." 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.

You're not going to heaven because you are hanging onto Jesus. You're going to go to heaven because Jesus is holding onto you.

"I am among you as one who serves" (Luke 22:27). “If you want to be a leader, you’re going to end up frustrated in life, because very few people want to be led. But if you aim to be a servant, you’ll never be disappointed.” Frank Warren

Here is the first question from the Heidelberg Catechism, written in 1563: Question 1: What is your only comfort in life and in death? Answer: That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with His precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by His Holy Spirit He also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for Him. That’s the sort of statement every Christian should memorize. Why don’t you stop right now and read it out loud? It will do your soul good to say those words. Just stop for a moment and read it aloud.

In the spiritual life, direction makes all the difference. It's not where you've been but where you're going that matters.

Lord, give me a teachable spirit so I can receive the reproof of others even when I don't think I deserve it. Amen.

"Never pass up an opportunity to keep your mouth shut." Elisabeth Elliot

"We live in an age of rage. The only thing that will break through is the power of God's love." James Robison

"God's blessings are found within God's boundaries. When we ignore the boundaries, the blessings become burdens." Jason Benham

"Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). "Christians must constantly remember that we live here, but don't belong here." Don Carson

The more you encourage others, the more you are encouraged. Like the miracle of the loaves and fish, the more you give, the more you have. By giving encouragement to a fellow traveler, the spigot of God's blessings is opened to you. So far from running out, before long you are running over with God's blessings.

A cartoon from the Wall Street Journal shows a man walking up a set of stairs toward the gate of heaven. Above the gate is a sign with two words: “No Deals.” This time the Journal got it absolutely right. God makes no deals when it comes to heaven. You either enter by way of the cross  of Christ or you don’t enter at all.

"The problem in America today is not the presence of darkness. It's the absence of light." Jason Benham

Love does not run away. Love doesn't take the easy way out. Love runs toward the battle, not away from it.

How precious are a mother’s tears! There is no substance on earth more valuable than the tears of a godly mother. There are mothers and grandmothers who have prayed their children and their grandchildren to Christ. There are mothers and grandmothers who have seen their children in the “far country” of sin and have prayed them step by step back to the Father’s House. When everyone else gave up, godly women laid hold of heaven and claimed their offspring in Jesus’ name. And God heard those prayers and answered them.

A friend told me about his struggles in yielding everything to God. He said that he envisions his life as a great ship with the Lord at the helm. But every so often he wants to tap God on the shoulder and say, “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Rest easy, child of God. There’s a steady hand at the helm and he doesn’t need any help from you.  But you’ll never know until you give him full control of your life.  

"You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks." Winston Churchill

"He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him" (Psalm 126:6). I'm responsible to sow the seeds of truth faithfully, lovingly, repeatedly. I'm not responsible for how fast the harvest comes in. The timing of the harvest is not in my hands, but if I do my part, God cannot fail to do his. Let's sow some seeds today and pray for a bountiful harvest!

Money is like manure. If you pile it up, it stinks. But if you spread it around, it can do a lot of good. What are you doing with the money God has given you?

"Don't let the world squeeze you into its mold" (Romans 12:2 Phillips) Living for Christ means going against the flow. We've got to swim upstream.

"What have I to dread, what have I to fear, Leaning on the everlasting arms? I have blessed peace with my Lord so near, Leaning on the everlasting arms."‏

Pray for a church filled with messy people, which means pray for a church filled with people because we're all messed up but Jesus is a wonderful Savior.

We don't have to choose between grace and truth. Since Jesus was full of grace and truth (John 1:14), and if he is in us and we are in him, then we should be full of grace and truth too.

"Stop trying to fix people. Point them to Jesus." Caleb Kaltenbach

Miracles happen when we pray. Never doubt that. If God's people pray, he will heal our land. Do it, O Lord!

When the church is most like the world, it does the least good. The opposite is also true.

If God were to abandon us, then he would have to abandon his own Son because we are "in Christ." But he will never abandon his Son, and he will never abandon us. We are as safe in Christ as we could possibly be.

"It was said of an old Puritan that 'heaven was in him before he was in heaven.' This is necessary for all of us; we must have heaven in us before we get into heaven. If we do not get to heaven before we die, we shall never get there afterward." Charles Spurgeon

We need two things when we listen to a sermon: a soft heart and a good memory. A soft heart helps us receive the truth and a good memory reminds us of the truth we have heard. God of Grace, I pray for a soft heart and a good memory as I listen to your Word today. Amen.