Good Words for Today
Better to suffer divine discipline than to continue in sin. Better to repent than to wish we had.
"Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; naught be all else to me, save that thou art - thou my best thought, by day or by night; waking or sleeping, thy presence my light." Old Irish hymn, translated by Mary Byrne
"If the world from you withhold of its silver and its gold, And you have to get along with meager fare, Just remember, in His Word, how He feeds the little bird— Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there." Refrain: "Leave it there, leave it there, Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there; If you trust and never doubt, He will surely bring you out— Take your burden to the Lord and leave it there." Charles A. Tindley, 1916
God never wastes his burdens. When God gives a burden, we may be sure it is because he intends to give an answer.
We can't avoid being hurt, but we can choose not to be bitter about it.
Try loving your enemies today. Hating them never worked anyway.
Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is to tell the truth even when people don't want to hear it.
The world is full of discouraged people who feel like giving up. Whose burden will you bear today?
Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy world empire, died last week at the age of 91. We all know the legacy he left behind. While rummaging through my files, I came across a quote from a 1964 Dick Van Dyke episode called "The Man from Emperor." In it a longtime friend of Rob Petrie (played by Dick Van Dyke) shows up and offers him a job at a hugely successful but racy magazine called Emperor. Rob is interested at first until his wife Laura (played by Mary Tyler Moore) intervenes. The episode shows Rob sorely tempted by the wine, the women, and the promise of unbridled freedom. Here's the kicker. The friend was intentionally modeled on Hugh Hefner, and Emperor obviously stood for Playboy. The episode comes to a climax when Rob explains his decision to turn down the offer. He tells his friend that marriage can be like prison or like Disneyland: "Marriage has boundaries. To some guys those boundaries represent walls, and that makes marriage a prison to them. But to other guys those boundaries hold everything that is good and fun in life.” Rob Petrie was right, and Hugh Hefner was wrong. God established the boundaries to protect the most valuable things in life. If we ignore what God says, we end up imprisoned by our own lust. But it doesn't have to be that way. Marriage still works when a husband and wife follow the divine design.
You can have the praise of man, or you can have God's approval, but you can't have both. Which one do you want today?
You will be amazed by grace precisely to the degree that you are shocked by your own sin.
"The earth shall soon dissolve like snow, The sun forbear to shine, But God who called me here below Shall be forever mine!" From "Amazing Grace" by John Newton
The skill of the shepherd is seen not in the sunlight but in the dark valleys.
Love is a choice. You'll find out what that means when you decide to love someone who hates you.
"Serve the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs" (Psalm 100:2). "Beware of singing as if you were half dead, or half asleep; but lift up your voice with strength." John Wesley "As long as we live, there is never enough singing." Martin Luther
My Father, teach me to trust you even when circumstances aren't going my way. Amen
Good work, righteous work, even holy work, can become a distraction if we are not centered upon the Lord. Knowing Christ must come before serving Christ or else our service will be barren and our hearts will be frustrated.
"I’d rather see a sermon than hear one any day; I’d rather one should walk with me than merely tell the way. The eye’s a better pupil and more willing than the ear, Fine counsel is confusing, but example’s always clear; And the best of all the preachers are the men who live their creeds, For to see good put in action is what everybody needs." Edgar Guest
Choose your heroes wisely. Admire them but do not worship them. The best man you know is still just a man.
“Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning with Thee; Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be." “Great is Thy faithfulness! Great is Thy faithfulness! Morning by morning new mercies I see; All I have needed Thy hand hath provided— Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"
Lord, when I feel like giving up, remind me of your promises. Keep my eyes facing forward today. Amen.
"Immortal, invisible God only wise In light inaccessible hid from our eyes Most holy, most glorious the ancient of days Almighty, victorious Your great name we praise."
"Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold, Threaten the soul with infinite loss; Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold, Points to the refuge, the mighty cross."
The world says, “Don’t just sit there, do something.” Jesus says, “If you are worried and distracted, don’t just do something, take time to sit at my feet.”
To-do list: Love God, love people. Everything else is details.
Lord Jesus, when we are provoked today--as we surely will be!--may we be slow to anger and quick to forgive. Amen.
Lord Jesus, let your kingdom come even if mine must go. Let your power be seen even if mine disappears. Let your glory be manifest even if mine must fade away. Your kingdom, your power, your glory forever! Amen.
If your view of God's grace makes it easier for you to sin, you've either got the wrong God or the wrong grace.
God does not need vast numbers to do his work. We have heard it said that “God plus one is a majority.” It is nothing with him to win the victory by many or by a few. Often it seems that our Lord prefers to go into battle with a ragtag army of unqualified soldiers so that when the battle is over and the victory won, he alone gets the glory.
"Without Jesus, we approach life with the expectation of death. With Jesus, we approach death with the expectation of life." Nabeel Qureshi Nabeel Qureshi died yesterday of stomach cancer at the age of 34. Raised as a Muslim, he became a follower of Christ and then an ardent defender of the Christian faith. Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus tells the story of his conversion. It is a modern classic. We interviewed him last year on American Family Radio just before he announced the news that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer. He fought the good fight and kept his faith strong to the very end. From a human point of view, he left us far too soon, but perhaps his death will be a seed that brings forth a great harvest of Muslims coming to faith in Christ. Rest in peace, Nabeel. We will see you again.
Be positive! We have enough negative people already.
“Heavenly Father, you are in charge of everything that will happen to me today— the good and the bad, the happy and the sad, the positive and the negative. Please help me to be thankful for everything that will happen to me today. Amen”
You can give thanks or you can complain, but you can't do both at the same time.
No one is too sinful to be saved. No one is so lost that the Lord cannot find them. No one who meets Jesus will ever be the same again.
In the spiritual life, direction makes all the difference. It’s not where you’ve been but where you’re going that matters.
Accidents happen, but nothing happens by accident. This is the real meaning of Romans 8:28.
Forgive us, Lord, for doubting you. Forgive us, Lord, for giving up too soon. Teach us to pray and not to faint. Amen.
Lord Jesus, help me to stay out of trouble today, unless you need me to get into trouble for you. Amen.
"Jesus! what a Friend for sinners! Jesus! Lover of my soul; Friends may fail me, foes assail me, He, my Savior, makes me whole." "Hallelujah! what a Savior! Hallelujah! what a Friend! Saving, helping, keeping, loving, He is with me to the end." J. Wilbur Chapman, 1910
"There's hope for the hopeless And all those who've strayed Come sit at the table Come taste the grace There's rest for the weary Rest that endures Earth has no sorrow That heaven can't cure" From "Come As You Are" by Crowder